> Since Democratic primaries have more liberal people voting than the
general
> election overall, the primaries are good vehicles for progressives to win.
Right. Substitute "nonwhite" for "liberal" and the case is even clearer.
New York City 2001 Turnout Percent by Ethnic Composition of Election District
Composition Primary General Majority Latino 28.8 28.6 Plurality Latino 28.8 34.9 Majority Black 29.5 34.9 Plurality Black 28.8 35.4 Majority Asian 25.1 37.2 Plurality Asian 27.4 38.2 Majority White 33.8 49.8 Plurality White 30.7 41.4 Total 30.8 40.7
Notice that the difference in turnout between majority black and majority white districts is only 4 percentage points in the Democratic primary, but 15 points in the general election. Obviously the numbers vary from year to year depending on the candidates, but the overall pattern is very consistent. So it's a mathematical certainty that nonpartisan elections would reduce the weight of black and Latino voters in New York elections.
Josh (back on LBO-Talk after a long hiatus)