Dallas Morning News: Low voter turnout again plagues Texas elections, this time in primary runoffs

Dallas Morning News: Low voter turnout again plagues Texas elections, this time in primary runoffs

Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of advocacy organization Common Cause Texas, said the large number of elections in recent years, even just this month for example, doesn’t make it any easier — or less confusing — for Texas voters to turn up to the polls. “For us in Texas, you gotta think about who are the people that are gonna turn out to this election, which is one of… two elections just in the month of May,” Gutierrez said. “That’s just crazy,” he added. “We were getting so many people asking what this election was for, because we just had an election literally a few weeks ago. It’s just like only the very most engaged people, who also are usually like the most partisan in each party, electing candidates.”

As the May 24 primary runoff elections wrapped up late Tuesday, it was clear there’s still no end in sight to the low turnout that have plagued the March primaries and other Texas elections for decades.

In the first round of 2022 primary voting on March 1, only about 18% of about 17 million registered voters in this state cast a ballot. That figure is higher than turnout in previous years, but still means less than 1 in 5 registered voters participated.

Data from the May 24 runoffs appear to be similar, if not an indication that turnout might have been even lower. Turnout typically is lower in runoffs than other elections. …

Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of advocacy organization Common Cause Texas, said the large number of elections in recent years, even just this month for example, doesn’t make it any easier — or less confusing — for Texas voters to turn up to the polls.

“For us in Texas, you gotta think about who are the people that are gonna turn out to this election, which is one of… two elections just in the month of May,” Gutierrez said.

“That’s just crazy,” he added. “We were getting so many people asking what this election was for, because we just had an election literally a few weeks ago. It’s just like only the very most engaged people, who also are usually like the most partisan in each party, electing candidates.”