Greenfield Online-Ciao Surveys U.S. Omnibus Study Shows Voters May Vote the Party Line in 2008. 49% Rarely or Never Vote Outside Party Affiliation.

Voters turned out in record numbers during this year’s U.S. primaries to vote for their candidate. According to an analysis by the Center for the Study of the American Electorate at American University in Washington and published by the Associated Press, twelve states saw record voter turnout in their Democratic primaries and 11 states broke voter turnout records in their Republican contests. Many believe it will continue to be an interesting campaign year to follow, no matter where your political loyalty or affiliation lies.

When Greenfield Online-Ciao Surveys asked a group of approximately 1,000 U.S. respondents in a recent omnibus study if they were affiliated with a political party, more than half, or 53%, said no.

We asked the 47% who claimed that they are affiliated with a political party if they ever vote outside their designated party affiliation. A total of 49% “Rarely” or “Never” vote outside their party. 42% said “Sometimes” and 8% said, “Often.” As we head towards the 2008 elections, these results suggest that perhaps it isn’t about what the candidate represents, it might be more about what the overall party represents that counts the most.

Here are the results: