In the first four primaries of the presidential campaign, voter turnout for Republicans has far surpassed the previous two elections. And turnout can be an indicator of how motivated an electorate is.
Nevada is the only state of the first four primaries that’s seen more Democrats turn out than Republicans.
In Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, thousands more Republicans than Democrats went to the primaries or caucus.
And Republicans aren’t just beating Democrats — they’re beating their own records. Compared to 2012, Republicans’ worst performance was in New Hampshire, with numbers that were still 14 percent higher this year. The party’s best performance was in Nevada — turnout was more than twice as high as in 2012.
And the benefactor of these record turnouts has been Donald Trump, who won three of the four early states.
