Voter turnout barely cracked 30% in Pennsylvania’s presidential primary

Turnout was down statewide and across both parties in Pennsylvania’s primary on Tuesday.

Just 30% of registered voters turned out to vote in the primary, down from 41% in the 2020 presidential primary election.

The lackluster turnout reflected a year with few contested races on the ballot and in which voters have expressed broad disappointment in both parties’ presidential nominees.

President Joe Biden received 321,000 fewer votes in this year’s primary than he did in the 2020 Pennsylvania primary, a year when Sen. Bernie Sanders was also on the Democratic ballot, which likely drove out supporters of both candidates.

Former President Donald Trump received 263,000 fewer votes in this primary than he did in 2020, when he appeared on the ballot without a major challenger as the incumbent. His vote total likely dropped partly because of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who still appeared on the ballot after suspending her presidential campaign in March. Haley netted more than 150,000 protest votes against Trump.

The most surprising thing about the state’s turnout numbers might be how evenly uninterested people were across the state.

In the 2020 primary regional patterns emerged. Democrats had higher turnout in wealthier suburban areas and Republican voters were more engaged in rural areas. That divide was less apparent in this election.

In the traditionally highly engaged suburban counties just about one-third of eligible voters turned out, a sharp drop from 2020. Urban counties had lower voter turnout for both parties than suburban and rural counties, but not by much.

Republican turnout in rural areas was slightly higher than the rest of the state, but it still lagged 2020. That could reflect Trump’s base, which has remained consistent and loyal in more rural areas.

Primaries tend to bring out the party’s most dedicated voters and the primary electorate skews older, well-educated, and whiter. Pennsylvania also has a closed primary so only people registered with a party can vote in nominating contests.

Still, oftentimes primary turnout can indicate geographic areas that are most motivated and the types of voters who are engaged. Pennsylvania’s primary seemed to unite voters of both parties throughout the state in a show of apathy, leaving both parties their work cut out for them in the next six months.

This article, including the headline, has been updated to reflect Democratic write-in data added by the Associated Press. Republican write-in data was not made available.