Patch's Poll: Do You Vote in Political Primaries?

When all is said and done, political primaries that do not involve a presidential race aren’t exactly huge draws for voters.

Historically, only the most politically aware or involved Democrats and Republicans in Connecticut head to the polls to vote for their choice candidates in federal elections.

The same will happen on Tuesday, when registered party members will be able to vote in the lone statewide contest for U.S. Senate. F

or the Democrats, its Chris Murphy versus Susan Bysiewicz and for the Republicans, its Linda McMahon versus Chris Shays.

Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

According to CTNewsJunkie.com, party analysts are expecting roughly a 25-percent turnout of registered voters on both sides. The news site pointed out that the hotly contested Fifth District race will likely be higher in terms of a percentage of voters, given the fact that the seat remains open.

And 25 percent sounds about right.

According to statistics on the Secretary of the State’s website, back in 2010, roughly 30 percent (122,321 voters) of registered Republicans voted in the U.S. Senate primary between Linda McMahon, Rob Simmons and Peter Schiff. On the Republican gubernatorial front, about 29 percent (120,171 voters) cast ballots in the three-way race between Tom Foley, Michael Fedele and Oz Griebel.

On the Democratic side, about 24 percent (180,926 voters) cast ballots in the race between Dannel P. Malloy and Ned Lamont.

The number of registered Republicans in 2010 was 407,407, while the number of registered Democrats was 739,224, according to the website YourCt.com.

By comparison, voter turnout in one of the most notable primary races in recent memory — the 2006 upset victory when Ned Lamont beat out Joe Lieberman — garnered 43 percent of registered Democrats in Connecticut.

What about you? Do you vote in primaries in Connecticut? Do you even care? Take our poll and share your thoughts in the comments.