TALLAHASSEE

Florida recorded its worst voter turnout in the last 16 years in Tuesday’s primary election.

Only 17.5 percent of the state’s 11.8 million voters made it to the polls. It was the lowest turnout since 16.6 percent of the voters participated in the 1998 primary election.

One of the main reasons for the lack of voter excitement is that there were no exciting statewide races on the ballot. The primary victories of Gov. Rick Scott and former Gov. Charlie Crist were foregone conclusions. George Sheldon bested state Rep. Perry Thurston for the Democratic nomination for attorney general – but the race drew little attention because neither candidate could afford a television advertising campaign.

The turnout winner was Liberty County, Florida’s smallest county, where nearly 50 percent of the voters made it to the polls. But voter turnout was dismal in Florida’s largest counties, where the major campaigns will be won or lost in the November general election.

Broward County finished next to last in the state with a 10.77 percent turnout. Not too far behind were Palm Beach County at 12 percent and Miami-Dade, Florida’s largest county, at 14.4 percent.

Those three counties happen to be a bastion of Democratic voters, holding 32 percent of the 4.6 million Democrats in the state. Broward and Miami-Dade together have 1.1 million Democrats.

Turnout will be higher in the Nov. 4 general election. But if the trend continues it will favor Scott’s re-election and a defeat for Crist. As a parallel, in 2010, 22 percent of the voters turned out for the primary, with 48.7 percent in the general election.

But Broward finished last in the state in turnout in 2010 at 41 percent in the general election, followed closely by Miami-Dade at 41.5 percent, giving Scott a narrow victory over Alex Sink, his Democratic challenger.

The same scenario may be playing out this year. But there is a wildcard and another reason that explains Florida’s low turnout rates, particularly in the primary elections.

Florida is a closed primary state. That means only Democrats can vote in Democratic primary elections and Republicans in Republican primaries. Yet nearly a quarter of the electorate is now registering as independent – or “no party affiliation” – voters.

NPA voters often have little reason to participate in primaries, having a chance to cast their votes in a handful of school board races, municipal contests or judgeships. But they can fully participate in the general election and with 2.7 million voters can make a difference in a statewide race.

The NPA voters skew to the younger side. An analysis earlier this year by Susan MacManus, a University of South Florida political scientist, showed a quarter of those voters were under the age of 30 and 61 percent of the NPA voters were under the age of 49.

A potential draw for those voters in November will be a constitutional amendment allowing the use of medical marijuana in Florida. The initiative may or may not increase turnout.

Complicating the turnout scenarios is the presence of Adrian Wyllie, a Libertarian candidate for governor who will be on the November ballot. The heavily negative tone of the Scott-Crist contest could drive some voters to Wyllie, particularly if he can raise his profile.

As with the major parties, the battle over the NPA voters will also be waged in Florida’s biggest counties. Some 30 percent the NPA voters are in Southeast Florida, with Miami-Dade holding the largest group with 354,000 NPA voters.

And like the Republicans and Democrats, the biggest question remains: how many of those voters will be coming to the polls?

WINNER OF THE WEEK: Same-sex marriage. A Florida appellate court has asked the state Supreme Court to take up a case involving a couple from Hillsborough County who have been blocked from obtaining a divorce because of Florida’s same-sex marriage ban. If the state’s highest court agrees, it could provide a way to decide whether Florida will continue its ban or if it will be found unconstitutional as five courts in the state have already ruled.

LOSER OF THE WEEK: Voter enthusiasm. Only 17.52 percent of Florida’s 11.8 million voters turned out for the Aug. 26 primary. It’s the lowest primary turnout since 1998.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I was still wondering why he had chosen me. He never gave me a real answer to that question. I wasn’t one of the good old boys, and he was a millionaire with his own plane. Why me?” former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll writes in her new book, “When You Get There,” recounting her political career and her selection as Gov. Rick Scott’s running mate in 2010.