'Voter Apathy' Could Mean Low Primary Turnout

PHOENIX - The candidates in several heated races will be decided Tuesday, and there's a lot at stake. Normally we've seen a lot of interest in primary races, but election officials are predicting low voter turnout -- why?

With all the publicity and airtime, you'd think voters would be rushing to the polls, but that may not be the case.

The Secretary of State's Office is expecting 20-25 percent of voters to hit the polls Tuesday. That's because turnout is typically low in an off-year election, in between presidential election years, and because the primary is in August, instead of September, and many Arizona snowbirds haven't returned to the valley yet.

Political analyst Mike O'Neil has his theory. "It has been a pretty nasty campaign in some of the races. There has been fighting back and forth and it may not be clear who is telling the truth. That may induce some voters to wait until the last minute -- there may be a little bit of a surge on Election Day -- but probably the biggest factor in suppressing turnout is the fact that the big enchiladas, the gubernatorial and senatorial nominations, appear to be fixed. And those are the marquee contests that tend to bring people in to vote."

Polls show that John McCain has a big lead over JD Hayworth, and the governor's race between Jan Brewer and Terry Goddard won't be addressed until the November election.

It's hard to get people to get interested in some races and they may tune out if a race doesn't affect them personally. FOX 10's Andrew Hasbun has more on 'voter apathy.'

More on Arizona's Primary Election, Aug. 24

• FOX 10 YouDecide Election Headquarters
• What You Need to Know to Vote
• Info on Polling Places and Finding Your Congressional District
• Info on Arizona congressional candidates
• Info on Arizona statewide office candidates