Brian Duff interviewed by MPBN radio on primary voter turnout

Brian Duff, Ph.D., 91AV associate professor of political science, was interviewed at length for a June 7, 2012 MPBN radio story on voter turnout projections for the Maine June 12 primary election.

With voter turnout expected to be low, according to the Maine Secretary of State's office, Duff told MPBN's Tom Porter that "There's two ways to look at it. One way is that if there's low voter turnout, then it's the people who are most passionate from each party who are going to vote in the primary. That's the case in general, but in low turnout situations it's magnified. So you would expect possibly the more liberal Democrat to benefit and the more conservative Republican. However on the Democratic side there isn't really a candidate that sticks out as the liberal firebrand. On the Republican side, (Scott) D'Amboise is probably considered the most conservative, but he is has sort of other handicaps in this race, but it could benefit him a little bit. The other group that benefits in low turnout is the group that has the best organization, whichever group manages to get people to the polls effectively on election day."

Duff is the author of The Parent as Citizen: A Democratic Dilemma. He has also published research on feminist theory, voting, and the politics of race and ethnicity.

About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.