I keep hearing about how Democratic contests are experiencing “record turnout.” That’s all well and good. There’s no question that Democrats are more excited than Republicans, and that they are eager to select a president after being out of power for so long.

But the real reason for “record turnout” is that Democrats in Maine, Nebraska, Washington and other states voting now have never had a chance before to make a difference in nominating a candidate. Their previous primaries and caucuses were meaningless on the presidential level. So of course they’re going to have “record turnout” this year — how could they not?