GOP Voter Turnout Down By 13 Percent

(Wall Street Journal) - Republican Party leaders hoped that antipathy toward US President Barack Obama and aggravation over the slow economic recovery would send a wave of Republican voters to the polls for presidential primaries -- a step toward engaging them for the fall election -- but turnout in the contests held so far has been mixed.

Turnout rose modestly in Iowa and New Hampshire -- less than some Republican officials had expected, but enough to produce record numbers of GOP ballots cast. Then, turnout surged in South Carolina's highly competitive primary, where it rose by 36 percent. Part of the explanation: A big increase in the number of registered voters in the state since 2008.

But since then, turnout has declined enough that, overall, it's down by 13 percent.

It fell 14 percent in Florida's primary, which some in the state attributed to unusually high turnout in 2008 for a ballot initiative to limit property taxes.

Turnout was down in all three states that voted Tuesday -- with Missouri turnout falling by 57 percent.

Some officials saw a simple reason for that big drop in Missouri. In 2008, the Missouri primary awarded delegates. This year, delegates will be awarded at a March 17 caucus, turning the primary into a "beauty contest" that may have damped voter interest.

Read more: Wall Street Journal