If they held the Pennsylvania primary earlier in the election season, would more people vote? Would anyone care?
That dilemma is being pondered by state legislators in the wake of the Tuesday April 23 primary, which saw the lowest percentage of voters since 1948. In Allegheny County, only 30.3 percent of registered voters cast their ballots on Tuesday. Across the state, the turnout was even more dismal at less than 25 percent. These figures show a significant drop in voter involvement, compared to the previous presidential primary in 1992 when over 50 percent of both Democrats and Republicans made their way to the polls.
Why the lackluster turnout this April? For one thing, the presidential nominations of both parties were already decided weeks before Pennsylvanians voted.
The foregone conclusion of the presidential races affected more than voter turnout, believe State Rep. Harry Readshaw, D-Carrick, and Sen. Jack Wagner, D-Beechview. It kept campaign dollars out of the state's media markets -- possibly $10 million or more. During the primary, only one presidential hopeful, Sen. Robert Dole, made a short stop-over in Pittsburgh. The local airwaves received only a small amount of advertising revenue from the national campaigns (and not one penny of the billions spent by unsuccessful Republican wannabe Steve Forbes).
To make Pennsylvania a major player in presidential primary campaigning, Readshaw and Wagner hope to pass a measure in Harrisburg to move the state's primary date to March 19. (A similar bill to change this year's date passed in the House but not the Senate.) The earlier primary, say its proponents, will give the state more clout in the nomination process and more revenue from candidates.
Will a March primary also help to enliven a yawning electorate? Not necessarily, if the presidential races in the year 2000 are decided as early as this year's. (Dole's nomination was locked up by March 12 and President Clinton had no serious contenders.)
Oh yes, there were several state and local races decided on April 23. Here are the primary winners:
| Office | Democratic | Republican |
|---|---|---|
| US Congress, 14th Dist. | William Coyne | Bill Ravotti |
| US Congress, 18th Dist. | Mike Doyle | David Fawcett |
| PA Auditor General | Bob Casey Jr | Bob Nyce |
| PA Treasurer | Mina Baker Knoll | Barbara Hafer |
| PA Senate, 43rd Dist. | Jay Costa Jr * | Kathy Matta |
| PA Senate, 37th Dist. | Greg Fajt | Tim Murphy |
| PA Senate, 39th Dist. | Allen Kukovich | Charles Frederickson |
* Jay Costa Jr. also won a special election to immediately fill the 43rd District seat, vacated in January when Mike Dawida became county commissioner.
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