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Laffer Associates Game On [Updated 7/6/2016] voter turnout is up 66.6% over 2008 and 103.0% over 2012. | use both total turnout as well as equal weighted state turnout because our Electoral College system for selecting a president is a combination of both. These numbers are astounding and by themselves speak volumes for Republican prospects in 2016. And it is not just the Trump phenomenon; it’s the Trump phenomenon plus much more. But, the situation is worse for Democrats. When juxtaposed to the Democratic turnout in 2008 and 2016, the 2016 Republican turnout looks even stronger. Remember, the 2012 Democratic primary was a non-event because President Obama, then a sitting President, was running for nomination essentially uncontested. We therefore focus exclusively on the change from the 2008 to the 2016 Democratic Party turnout, which, using the same states, is down in total by 20.1%. And, using equal-weighted state numbers, it’s down by 16.2%. Ona state-by-state comparison, Republican turnout is way up, and Democratic turnout is way down. Someone should ring the Democratic alarm bell. And, even head-to-head comparisons of absolute voter turnout between the Democratic and Republican primaries in 2016 and 2008 give the Republicans a definite edge for the elections of 2016 and an enormous increase over 2008. So far in 2016, there have been 3.5 million more Republicans voting in their party’s primaries than there have been Democrats. In 2008, the Democrats had over 11.3 million additional primary voter advantage over their Republican counterparts. This enormous increase in Republican voter turnout over Democrats in 2016 plus the fact that there are more Republican voters in 2016 than Democratic voters should be perhaps the single most disturbing statistic if you are a Hillary supporter, especially given the exceptional enthusiasm for Bernie Sanders in what has turned out to be a down primary turnout for Democrats. Even on a state-by-state basis, the flip from Democrat to Republican has been pronounced. So far in this 2016 primary season, there are 14 new states that had Republican turnout in excess of Democratic turnout, i.e. those states in 2008 had more Democratic turnout than Republican turnout, while in 2016 Republican turnout exceeds Democratic turnout. These states are not, as Bernie Sanders would say, “chopped liver.” They include Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. When it comes to the electoral college, flipping a state is far more important than is increasing the margin of victory. What should be even more alarming to the Democrats than the party flip against Democrats in the 14 states that have already had primaries is the fact that so far in every state, save Michigan, Democratic voter advantage over Republican’s has declined. And Michigan, without trying to reach too far for excuses, appears to hinge on the tragedy of the Flint water contamination and Mitt Romney’s candidacy in 2008 and 2012. And so as not to take everything away from the unique Michigan phenomenon, it still must be remembered that in both 2008 and 2016, Republican primary turnout in Michigan was greater than Democratic turnout. HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_025302