Voter Turnout Comparison Statistics
Comparative Voter Registration and Participation
in Statewide Primary Elections -- 1910 through 1994
R e g i s t e r e d V o t e s C a s t
Primary Date Eligible Democrat Republican Other Nonpartisan Total Vote Regis'd Eligible
Aug 16, 1910
May 14, 1912 P
Sep 3, 1912
Aug 25, 1914 1,710,000
May 2, 1916 P 1,786,000 735,869 324,366 44.08% 18.16%
Aug 29, 1916 1,798,000
Aug 27, 1918 1,906,000 1,151,365 647,234 56.21% 33.96%
May 4, 1920 P 2,047,000 1,111,192 618,981 55.70% 30.24%
Aug 31, 1920 2,072,000 488,261 23.56%
Aug 29, 1922 2,386,000 305,658 927,046 46,790 172,799 1,452,293 813,166 55.99% 34.08%
May 6, 1924 P 2,670,000 339,300 1,012,701 37,277 110,317 1,499,595 742,827 49.54% 27.82%
Aug 26, 1924 2,719,000 367,277 1,084,997 39,671 129,508 1,621,453 674,231 41.58% 24.80%
Aug 31, 1926 2,964,000 399,599 1,262,480 38,808 153,584 1,854,471 1,031,900 55.64% 34.81%
May 1, 1928 P 3,177,000 465,793 1,254,514 28,950 100,722 1,849,979 853,669 46.14% 26.87%
Aug 28, 1928 3,214,000 508,645 1,360,152 30,251 110,551 2,009,599 740,556 36.85% 23.04%
Aug 26, 1930 3,440,000 449,824 1,599,413 23,297 114,940 2,187,474 1,301,847 59.51% 37.84%
May 3, 1932 P 3,546,000 847,264 1,394,850 24,839 110,190 2,377,143 1,379,113 58.02% 38.89%
Aug 30, 1932 3,562,000 1,027,657 1,497,432 27,743 112,998 2,665,830 1,493,827 56.04% 41.94%
Aug 28, 1934 3,663,000 1,494,111 1,418,826 31,841 117,539 3,062,317 1,817,027 59.34% 49.60%
May 5, 1936 P 3,802,000 1,687,288 1,163,780 16,561 96,707 2,964,336 1,535,280 51.79% 40.38%
Aug 25, 1936 3,826,000 1,783,028 1,198,550 19,135 96,116 3,096,829 1,472,094 47.54% 38.48%
Aug 30, 1938 4,015,000 2,052,519 1,246,773 51,793 102,973 3,454,058 2,069,025 59.90% 51.53%
May 7, 1940 P 4,169,000 2,172,853 1,308,211 43,773 127,437 3,652,274 1,572,173 43.05% 37.71%
Aug 27, 1940 4,195,000 2,259,613 1,361,657 35,233 126,199 3,782,702 1,885,537 49.85% 44.95%
Aug 25, 1942 4,643,000 2,252,901 1,352,907 21,917 123,571 3,751,296 1,768,929 47.16% 38.10%
May 16, 1944 P 5,244,000 1,968,376 1,285,977 15,393 101,232 3,370,978 1,884,820 55.91% 35.94%
June 4, 1946 5,722,000 2,393,997 1,530,335 11,899 177,377 4,113,608 2,087,864 50.76% 36.49%
June 1, 1948 P 6,042,000 2,665,560 1,749,223 28,003 189,343 4,632,129 2,538,585 54.80% 42.02%
June 6, 1950 6,385,000 2,862,063 1,826,350 32,608 204,348 4,925,369 3,140,472 63.76% 49.19%
June 3, 1952 P 6,913,000 2,995,768 2,192,446 23,650 171,657 5,383,521 3,651,912 67.84% 52.83%
June 8, 1954 7,454,000 3,112,004 2,348,412 29,838 174,434 5,664,688 3,184,565 56.22% 42.72%
June 5, 1956 P 8,074,000 3,059,873 2,277,530 21,304 129,115 5,487,822 3,656,586 66.63% 45.29%
June 3, 1958 8,763,000 3,542,374 2,552,678 30,172 154,952 6,280,176 4,125,124 65.68% 47.07%
June 7, 1960 P 9,446,000 3,676,495 2,519,975 30,305 148,507 6,375,282 4,004,059 62.81% 42.39%
June 5, 1962 10,155,000 3,996,964 2,833,889 7,788 212,948 7,051,589 4,479,723 63.53% 44.11%
June 2, 1964 P 10,823,000 4,022,302 2,895,448 25,414 179,560 7,122,724 5,124,175 71.94% 47.35%
June 7, 1966 11,346,000 4,485,777 3,125,884 37,611 205,830 7,855,102 5,079,911 64.67% 44.77%
June 4, 1968 P 11,737,000 4,347,406 3,197,815 202,678 177,718 7,925,617 5,723,047 72.21% 48.76%
June 2, 1970 12,105,000 4,388,052 3,274,967 112,086 278,284 8,053,389 5,011,908 62.23% 41.40%
June 6, 1972 P 13,084,000 5,134,178 3,398,716 135,691 436,702 9,105,287 6,460,220 70.95% 49.37%
June 4, 1974 13,624,000 5,333,522 3,499,773 112,737 552,469 9,498,501 5,128,375 53.99% 37.64%
June 8, 1976 P 14,093,000 4,987,795 3,165,495 66,981 490,485 8,710,756 6,323,651 72.60% 44.87%
June 6, 1978 14,659,000 5,610,357 3,450,469 110,931 763,084 9,934,841 6,843,001 68.88% 46.68%
June 3, 1980 P 15,258,000 5,786,806 3,703,515 245,103 959,236 10,694,660 6,774,184 63.34% 44.40%
June 8, 1982 15,859,000 5,853,273 3,867,531 267,294 1,099,064 11,087,162 5,846,026 52.73% 36.86%
June 5, 1984 P 16,457,000 6,142,820 4,047,509 250,109 1,089,331 11,529,769 5,609,063 48.65% 34.08%
June 3, 1986 17,357,000 6,181,719 4,566,785 366,591 1,091,537 12,206,632 4,937,941 40.45% 28.45%
June 7, 1988 P 18,917,000 6,380,397 4,782,248 267,047 1,107,515 12,537,207 6,037,468 48.16% 31.92%
June 5, 1990 19,133,000 6,453,186 5,072,331 249,873 1,206,039 12,981,429 5,386,545 41.49% 28.15%
June 2, 1992 P 19,180,000 6,581,888 5,242,805 435,572 1,308,983 13,569,248 6,439,629 47.46% 33.58%
June 7, 1994 18,946,000 6,924,121 5,261,009 459,884 1,526,397 14,171,411 4,966,827 35.05% 26.22%
Note 1:
"Although counties have been required to report the party affiliation of California's registered voters since 1915, the first statewide record did not appear until 1922, and no records are available prior to that date." See Eugene C. Lee, California Votes 1928 - 1960, Institute of Governmental Studies, University of California, 1963, quoted at page 26.
Note 2:
Prior to 1944, the presidential primary was held in May, and a second primary was held in September or August to nominate partisan candidates for congress, the state senate, and the assembly. In 1944, these primary elections were consolidated into a single primary election date.
Note 3:
Since the statewide primary election party nomination process began in 1910, fifteen parties have qualified to conduct primary elections, including:
*Democratic 1910 - present Commonwealth 1934 - 1938
*Republican 1910 - present Communist 1934 - March 1944
*Independence League 1910 Progressive 1934 - 1938
*Prohibition 1910 - 1962 Townsend 1938 - 1942
*Socialist 1910 - 1938 American Independent 1968 - present
Independent Progressive 1948 - 1954 Peace and Freedom 1968 - present
Progressive ("Bull Moose") 1914 - 1918 Libertarian 1980 - present
Liberty 1932-1934 Green 1992 - present
Prior to 1910, many parties either conducted conventions or held primary elections to select their candiates for the statewide general election. The five parties whose names are preceded by an asterisk (*) were active before 1910.
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