This week’s Virginia gubernatorial primaries generated national attention (see article below from The Hill and Politico).  Among the issues that received prominent attention, particularly in the Democrat primary, was the issue of proposed natural gas pipelines.  It remains to be seen the degree of attention that issue will receive in the general election campaign.  The choices made by Virginia voters on November 7 are important, but they were shaped by choices made in the June 13 primary.  And, the number of people making those choices was . . . well . . . abysmal.

There 7 million persons of voting age in Virginia and 78% are registered.  In last Fall’s Presidential election, the percentage of registered voters who cast ballots was 72% (56% of the voting age population).  In last Tuesday’s primary elections to choose Republican and Democrat gubernatorial candidates, a total of 909,000 showed up to vote (543,000 in the Democrat Primary; 366,000 in the Republican Primary).  That’s 16% of the registered voters in the Commonwealth and just under 13% of the voting age population.

We can do better.  We must do better!

Primary Reflections: Few Determined So Much
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