'Undoubtedly disappointing' voter turnout in 2025 Pennsylvania primary

[RandySF]

Pennsylvania was at the center of the political universe in 2024 as a key battleground state in the presidential election, and as a result, saw record high voter turnout.

But, most voters stayed home when it came to last week’s primary, even with races that would likely determine who would lead the state’s biggest cities on the ballot.

“The turnout was undoubtedly disappointing,” said Berwood Yost, the director of the Franklin & Marshall College Poll.

Low voter turnout in “off-year” municipal primaries is not uncommon for a variety of reasons. Local races tend to not garner the same attention as those for statewide or federal offices do, despite the bigger impact the positions have on communities across the state.






https://penncapital-star.com/election-2025/undoubtedly-disappointing-voter-turnout-in-2025-pennsylvania-primary/

[Deminpenn]

1. Pennsylvania has a closed primary system

I know in my county, among scores of local races, just a handful were even contested on the D or R ballots. Many of the school board candidates also cross-filed meaning they could be nominated as both Ds and Rs. There were also many offices that had no candidates at all for offices on either the D or R primary ballots. Except for the Pittsburgh Dem mayoral primary, it was sleepy hollow.