"Its Soundling like a 'Broken Record'"

This may be a new concept to people under 21, but everyone older will remember.

You're playing your favorite song on a record or album (those dinosaurs we had before CDs), and the song begins to skip. Say the "Beatles" singing..."I wanna hold your (skip) I wanna hold your (skip), I wanna hold your (skip)...and finally in frustration your push the "needle"...and we find out the thing Paul McCartney wanted to hold, was indeed your hand!


I tell this story, because the 2008 campaign is starting to sound like a "broken record," at least when it comes to voter turnout (and yes also because the candidates giving the same speeches, over and over).

But voter turnout this year has been amazing, setting records in every state so far. New Hampshire almost ran out of ballots in some precincts. California is predicting a record turnout on Super Tuesday, with 50 to 53 % of people casting ballots, many of them by mail.

Much of this is driven by the fact that we have hotly contested races on BOTH sides of the aisle, something that really has not occurred to this magnitude since 1968. And this is the first Presidential election since 1952, where no incumbent President or Vice-President was on the ballot! It's simply wide open, even as each side has jettisoned some candidates in the past week.


Iowa broke a turnout record, so too did New Hampshire, Nevada and Florida also expects the same for Tuesday's GOP contest, with Democrats likely to do the same in South Carolina Saturday.

I was at the Registrar of Elections office in Martinez, CA on Tuesday, and there was a steady stream of people coming into to register, or to change party affiliation. Voter interest is at an all-time high here! A very controversial "term limits" initiative on the CA ballots is fueling voter interest even higher!

The sad news is that a 53% voter turnout may be record setting, but 47% of registered voters still stay home.

Still, its a "broken record" that is likely to keep on playing until the General Election in the fall. Election studies indicate that high voter turnout in the primaries, means high or record voter turnouts in November!

I will be in Florida as of this Sunday, for complete coverage of the states GOP Primary on Tuesday!