GOP Primary Turnout Increases 574% !!!

With all that has happened since the Super Tuesday primary that included Massachusetts, some may not have notice what a great boost that was for our party. On Tuesday, Feb. 5, 496,171 people chose to vote in the Republican primary. How terrific was this? Well, for starters, there were only 486,000 registered Republican in Massachusetts at the start of the year!

The last Presidential primary in Massachusetts in 2004 was uncontested, and the turnout was much lower than usual, as 73,793. The increase from 2004 to 2008 was a whopping 574%! And because thousands of Independents voted in our primary (we won't know the exact number until local communities report to the Secretary of the Commonwealth), we will almost certainly see an increase in the number of registered Republicans in Massachusetts, too!

The Democrats also saw a large increase in their primary, so we cannot take this for granted: However, we can read it as a clear sign that people want two party competition in our state, and that primaries not only decide on who our nominee will be, but also build our party at the grass roots level.

As soon as we get the information from the Secretary of the Commonwealth, we will include the list of who voted in the primary on voter vault, for candidates and town/ward committees to use in identifying supporters.

- Peter Torkildsen