By this point in the 2014 midterm election cycle, fewer than 7.4 million people — or 6% of registered voters — had cast ballots in Democratic House primaries. Pew found that “340 House primaries have been contested by at least two candidates, versus 251 in 2014. Most of that increase has been on the Democratic side, with 81 more contested Democratic House primaries this year (203) than in 2014 (122). However, with strong candidates, competitive races, voter registration pushes and mass marches (which promote voting), Democratic turnout could swamp whatever barriers to voting Republicans throw up. And the cure to an illiberal democratic ruler is mass turnout among voters who care about democratic institutions and norms.

Source: Washington Post July 31, 2018 15:22 UTC