When Your Party Isn't on the Ballot, a Third of Voters Skip the Race
Share of "minority party" voters in California same-party contests who actually marked a choice in the race, by office level and election type, 2014–2024.
A table showing the share of California voters whose party was not on the ballot who still marked a choice in same-party contests, 2014–2024. In D-vs-D state legislative generals, 65% of Republicans voted in the race (a 35-point drop from normal); in R-vs-R state legislative generals, 86% of Democrats voted (a 10-point drop). Same-party primaries show larger drops: 44% of Republicans voted in D-only state legislative primaries and 52% of Democrats voted in R-only primaries. Congressional and statewide races show similar patterns, with drops between 22 and 37 points.
