Ambivalence and protest votes: Pa. primary exposes challenges in race for president
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Voting in the presidential primary wrapped up in Pennsylvania on Tuesday evening. The swing state is critical in deciding who will win the White House this November.
Traffic at polling stations tended to be light, reflecting the low voter turnout, a fact supported by polling data that shows that voters here are not enthused by their choices.
“There is a general sense of disappointment right now among the electorate with the choices, especially at the presidential level with both Donald Trump and Joe Biden having fairly low favorable ratings,” Christopher Borick, professor of political science at Muhlenberg College, told WHYY’s Studio 2. “A lot of voters don’t like either of ’em, and that doesn’t really create a situation with a lot of energy to show up.”
However, Borick added it could also be the fact the top races were foregone conclusions.
“The presidential race and the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania were largely uncontested races, so there wasn’t a lot of drama that would bring in maybe more casual voters,” he said. “It just wasn’t there.”
In Philadelphia, less than 18% of registered voters made their way to polling stations — considerably lower than the 20–25% usually seen on primary day. Being a city of Democrats, that would have mostly affected Biden.
Meanwhile, only 29% of those registered across the state voted — also down from primaries in 2016 and 2020.
