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Wednesday, March 5, 2008
State party says Democratic caucus turnout could exceed vote for McCain
Boyd Richie, Texas Democratic Party chairman, said the “sun came up” on the state party Wednesday with a huge turnout in the party’s presidential primary and caucus elections.
About 2.8 million Texans who voted in the Democratic primary and the caucus turnout that could be higher than the 707,000 who voted for John McCain in the Republican primary, according to a Democratic Party news release.
About 400,000 Texas Democrats participated in the first 35 percent of Democratic precinct conventions that have reported. The final numbers could exceed the party’s 2004 primary turnout of 839,000, Richie said in the news release.
“This historic turnout is another unmistakable sign that voters are ready to replace failed Republican leaders with Democrats who will work for all Texans in Austin and Washington,” he said.
The statement from Richie acknowledges that historically high turnout caused problems with the handling of Tuesday night’s caucuses, including long lines, crowded facilities and “occasional interference from overzealous organizers.”
“However, in almost every case, Democrats who came out to vote and gathered to caucus with their neighbors showed the kind of patience and respect that could serve as a lesson for Republican politicians who put their personal and partisan interests ahead of what’s best for our communities,” Richie said.
The state Democratic Party chair urged voters to stay involved in the process because the contest for the 67 delegates to be sent to the national convention based on caucus results will continue until the state convention June 5-7.
Nonbinding GOP propositions pass easily
You won’t find these results in our coverage in the newspaper, in part because they don’t mean much to anyone except Republican voters.
Three nonbinding propositions appeared on Texas Republican primary ballots. These essentially are gauging the “temperature” of GOP voters with respect to these issues. And each one passed overwhelmingly.
Here’s those results, after all 7,959 precincts in the state reported:
Proposition 1: Should federal, state and local officials be required “to enforce U.S. immigration laws to secure our borders”?
Yes 1,267,411 - 96 percent
No 48,113 - 4 percent
Proposition 2: Should the state require voters to show valid photo ID before casting ballots?
Yes 1,237,776 - 94 percent
No 80,314 - 6 percent
Proposition 3: Should government agencies be prohibited from increasing their budgets beyond what is demanded by increases in inflation and population without voter approval?
Yes 1,175,461 - 92 percent
No 100,128 - 8 percent
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