By Jennifer Glickel
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — New York State's voter turnout in this month’s midterm elections was the lowest of any state in the country.
An analysis by the United States Election Project at George Mason University reveals that, of the 13.4 million New Yorkers who were eligible to vote, just 32.1 percent went out to the polls. The analysis did not break down voter turnout for New York City.
Experts speculated that the poor showing may have stemmed from New York's majority Democratic leanings, and the limited threat some voters may have seen in this election's crop of Republican candidates.
"New York Republicans nominated arguably the weakest ticket in the nation, especially with two Senate seats and the governorship at stake," Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, told the New York Times.
"None of the top three G.O.P. candidates was taken seriously. The amazing thing is that the G.O.P. captured at least five House seats — but, then, the party was at an historic low in Congress and had nowhere to go but up," Sabato told the paper.
The theory goes against last-minute polls that had indicated that firebrand Republican candidates such as Carl Paladino could motivate New York's voters to turn out en masse this election.
Utah and Texas came in second place for the lowest turnout, with 32.2 percent of the states' respective eligible voter population casting their ballots earlier this month.
About 40.3 percent of people in all 50 states and the District of Columbia turned out to vote in the midterm elections.
