Millions of Democrats

Austinites love their democracy – as usual, Travis County had a higher voter turnout than the state as a whole: 41% vs. 33%. They are also more sold on the idea of early voting than other Texans: Contrary to the norm in most places, Travis residents casting ballots early (116,055) outnumbered election day voters (111,438). Statewide, it was the reverse: 1.8 million voted early, and 2.4 million waited until the big day. In Travis, 186,426 Democrats went to the polls, compared with 41,067 Republicans. Statewide, it was 2.9 million Dems vs. 1.4 million Republicans.

Don’t read too much into those state numbers, though. It’s doubtful they represent a shift of Texans to the left. The Dem turnout was driven by the hotly competitive presidential primary; since the GOP nomination was all but sewn up for John McCain, it should be presumed that many Republicans didn’t feel motivated to turn out. And let’s not forget that Austin’s borders now stretch up into Williamson County. WilCo recorded 78,521 ballots cast, including 49,490 in the Democratic primary and 28,848 in the Republican one. – L.N.

This article appears in March 14 • 2008.

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Amy Smith has been writing about Austin policy and politics for over 20 years. She joined The Austin Chronicle in 1996.

The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.