Forget about the breakdown--look at the TOTALS

Yes, 20+ states had primaries. And Obama won in landslides in some states, Clinton won big in others, yada, yada, yada. Same can be said for the (R) side of the slate: Romney, Huckabee, McCain, yada, yada, yada. But I think something that hasn't gotten nearly enough play from the media is the total number of votes being cast, not merely the record increases. (After all, it doesn't do Democrats much good if turnout doubles from 100,000 to 200,000 in a state where there are 500,000 Republicans voting.)

Here are the (approximate) total numbers of votes cast in states that voted Republican last time around. Please note that I am only including votes for Obama/Clinton or Huckabee/McCain/Romney, and states that had primaries.

ALABAMA
Democrats: 523,000
Republicans: 532,000

ARKANSAS
Democrats: 265,000
Republicans: 188,000

GEORGIA
Democrats: 1,023,000
Republicans: 918,000

MISSOURI
Democrats: 800,000
Republicans: 553,000
[Both Obama and Clinton got more votes than the top two Rethugs combined.]

OKLAHOMA
Democrats: 359,000
Republicans: 317,000
(And John Edwards had 40,000 votes.)

TENNESSEE
Democrats: 582,000
Republicans: 495,000

ARIZONA
Democrats: 359,000
Republicans: 408,000

UTAH
Democrats: 119,000
Republicans: 283,000
[UT just turned negative on Bush favorables last year, though.]

I don't know about you, but one side seems a bit more energized here to me.

•  Tip jar

  If you think this is worth some mojo.

  by Samer on Wed Feb 06, 2008 at 07:26:14 AM PDT

•  No matter who wins the nomination, the other

  will need to campaign for winner to get the same turn out.

  by goodwill on Wed Feb 06, 2008 at 07:28:10 AM PDT

•  Might be cool to total the numbers

  Add up the numbers and put final totals as an update.  

  by Must Have Been The Roses on Wed Feb 06, 2008 at 07:30:27 AM PDT

  •  Do you mean overall totals?

    Like, "Total # of Dems" and "Total # of Rs"? Or something else?

    by Samer on Wed Feb 06, 2008 at 07:31:37 AM PDT

  •  See post down the thread.

    I saw these numbers this morning VERY early, they may need updated.

    by bobdevo on Wed Feb 06, 2008 at 07:51:56 AM PDT

•  Samer, do you have any idea

  how this turnout compares with previous election year turnouts?  Certainly it's higher - just wondering how much higher.  How great is it to see so many who usually don't vote get out there and vote?  

  by sherlyle on Wed Feb 06, 2008 at 07:31:01 AM PDT

  •  Well, here's a SMALL sampling

    More time later, but for now:

    GA in 2004: ~600,000 Dems
    TN: ~360,000
    MO: ~420,000

    by Samer on Wed Feb 06, 2008 at 07:36:01 AM PDT

  •  There's a couple of diaries

    on the recent list that go into exactly that.

    See here and here.

    by litho on Wed Feb 06, 2008 at 07:36:12 AM PDT

    •  Thank you! Missed out on some quality DKos

      time..now I can catch up!

      by sherlyle on Wed Feb 06, 2008 at 07:38:11 AM PDT

    •  Thanks.

      FWIW, the diaries do have somewhat different aims (record turnout doesn't mean quite as much if it's 200,000 Dems v. 400,000 Rethugs, though).

      by Samer on Wed Feb 06, 2008 at 07:40:55 AM PDT

•  Totals from DEM primaries favor Obama

  Here's a back of the envelope calculation.

  Super Tuesday:
  Hillary's total victory margin: 1.298 million in 8 states
  Obama's total victory margin: 1.265 million in 12 states.

  Total margin on Super Tuesday:
  Hillary +32,000

  Total Margin in all primaries and caucuses reporting so far:
  Obama +113,000

  This does not include Michigan or Florida, where neither campaigned and which aren't recognized by the party, nor states like Iowa and Nevada, which did not report raw voter tallies from their caucuses.

  by LongTom on Wed Feb 06, 2008 at 07:42:55 AM PDT

•  If Hillary's The Nominee..

  you will not see Democratic turnout like this for the general.

  by bincbom on Wed Feb 06, 2008 at 07:48:13 AM PDT

  •  I fear you are correct . . .

    and it's one of the reasons I support Obama.  I think he is accurately stating the case when he says that he WILL get nearly all of Hillary's voters if he is the nominee, and that she will NOT get all of his voters if she is the nominee.

    And Job #1 is to take back the White House and the reins of the CIA, the DoD and the Department of Justice.

    by bobdevo on Wed Feb 06, 2008 at 07:50:49 AM PDT

•  The totals I saw

  for states in which both parties had primaries or caucuses were:

  Approx. 15 million Democrats voted
  Approx.  9 million Republicans voted

  I don't see how this does not bode ill fore Republican chances in November.

  by bobdevo on Wed Feb 06, 2008 at 07:49:07 AM PDT