Please help debunk the cynics.
Total voters in the New Hampshire Democratic primary in 2008, which was considered a record-breaking year for voter participation: 287,527, with 100% reporting.
Source: Wikipedia: 2008 New Hampshire Democratic primary - Results
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Total voters in the 2020 New Hampshire Democratic primary in an electoral season in which pundits have already been declaring a massive drop in voter participation: 283,440, with 91.3% reporting (as of the current moment).
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A cursory extrapolation yields 310,449 voters, when those last 8.7% of votes get reported.
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For additional reference:
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2012: 60,659, with 100% reporting
Source: The Green Papers: 2012 Presidential Primaries, Caucuses, and Conventions - New Hampshire Democrat
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2016: 253,062, with 100% reporting
Source: Wikipedia: 2016 United States presidential election in New Hampshire - Democratic primary - Results
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The provisional calculations are that around 57,380 more people voted in the 2020 Dem NH primaries for the assorted candidates than did so in 2016, and more than 22,920 more people voted for a Dem in the NH primary of 2020 than did so in 2008.
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Wikipedia’s page for the 2020 NH Dem primary already has up some numbers, as well: “Turnout is reportedly higher than the 2008 primary, with over 270,000 votes at 85% reporting, compared to 287,556 in total in 2008. For comparison, the turnout in the 2016 primary was 249,587.[9] Sanders also won that contest where he received 152,193 votes representing 60.14% of the total.”
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The takeaway is not that the most successful days of political organizing and participation are behind us. Everything is possible for our country, if we want it enough.
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In early 2015, after being told by Elizabeth Warren that she would not run, Bernie Sanders was faced with his own decision. As he weighed over the decision of if he should step into the race, he communicated to the public (at least through The Nation magazine) that he would only enter the race if he felt there would be a political movement. He said he would announce his decision by March.
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My father and I, who were both long-term fans of his, disagreed on what his decision would be. My father thought he would, while I was convinced that he’d never go through with it. March passed, and one day in April, I recalled this, and then must have been about to call my father to confirm that Bernie held out, as I’d predicted, but then he announced. And obviously, the rest is history.
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Do you believe that movements in this country are possible for more than getting politicians elected, and that movements are possible for getting not only legislation passed, but also expanding the political imagination, and fighting to make this country what it can be for all of us?
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The people are showing up!!
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Wherever you are on the spectrum, let’s effing do it. United, the people cannot be defeated by any such tyrant in this world.
