Flood of new Voters Signing Up

[warrens]

New voters are flooding local election offices with paperwork, registering in significantly higher numbers than four years ago as attention to the presidential election runs high and an array of activist groups recruit would-be voters who could prove critical come Nov. 2.



Cleveland has seen nearly twice as many new voters register so far as compared with 2000; Philadelphia is having its biggest boom in new voters in 20 years; and counties are bringing in temporary workers and employees from other agencies to help process all the new registration forms.

Nationwide figures aren't yet available, but anecdotal evidence shows an upswing in many places, often urban but some rural. Some wonder whether the new voters — some of whom sign up at the insistence of workers paid by get-out-the-vote organizations — will actually make it to the polls on Election Day, but few dispute the registration boom.

"We're swamped," said Bob Lee, who oversees voter registration in Philadelphia. "It seems like everybody and their little group is out there trying to register people."

SNIP

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040928/ap_on_el_pr/new_voters&cid=694&ncid=716

[Robb]

1. There are more of "us" than "them"...

...Always been so. This is why Repubs fought motor voter and other "get out the vote" legislation so long. If everyone votes, they lose.

[Reverend_Smitty]

2. You know what they say...

when more people vote, Democrats tend to win big! Especially in places like Philadelphia...I love it, lets send these ass hats out of town with the biggest voter turn out in all of our lifetimes...that will send a clear message, don't you think?

[Cha]

3. I hate to be a wet blanket but what was that

from yesterday about ken blackwell saying that the new registrations were on the Wrong Paper Weight?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=905337&mesg_id=905337

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/9/27/112229/106

[liberalmuse]

4. Have you guys been to Atrios?

or even Daily Kos. I'm sure this was posted all over DU yesterday, but I think it's worth posting again. They've both got a story about some guy named Blackwell, the Ohio Secretary of Stae, a 'pub, of course, who is trying to suppress the vote in Ohio. I wrote him an e-mail yesterday. Here's a link to the story:

http://www.mydd.com/story/2004/9/27/125755/309

Here's the guy's contact info as posted on Atrios:

J. Kenneth Blackwell-R
180 E. Broad St., 15th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-3910
E-Mail: [e-mail]

[warrens]

7. THIS time...

We've got lawyers all over Ohio, Florida, PA, and other battleground states. They aren't going to get away with it. Glenda Hood in Florida is going to spend the next month in courtrooms. A lawyer friend of mine said there are hundreds of Chicago lawyers who are about to go on sabbatical at the first of the month. And hop on planes to various states.

Us Dems are like herding cats, but this time, it looks like the cats are cooperating.

If any Chicago area dems want to get involved, we have buses leaving for Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan and Ohio. Plus we need people at the Chicago Marathon next week. Here is the contact.

[e-mail]

[Nana]

5. How cool...

my little corner of TX was mentioned!

[Ilsa]

10. Hey Nana!

I'm a little southwest of you, a few counties down in Victoria County.

[a kennedy]

6. Even in other countries, Americans have been flocking

to register. In Paris the place where they register has been just swamped. They interviewed a man who hasn't voted for the last 20/30 years, he is now, and he said it's just two words that's making him vote this time and it's George Bush!!

[Reverend_Smitty]

9. Thats why the polls are such bullshit...

they only poll likely voters, (those who voted in 2000) it really doesn't take into consideration the flood of first timers or newly motivated voters. As long as we can prevent the repugs from doing illegal and dirty tricks, we WILL win

[funkybutt]

16. exactly!! that's why I'm so sick of hearing poll numbers

the people we register and those who don't frequently vote ARE going to vote in November, but their votes aren't being counted by the polls...sometimes I wish polls didn't exist! too much of a distraction for some people. There are some who I can't even have a conversation with about the election where they dont' bring up the poll numbers. How many times can I say, "Those aren't accurate!"

[tomfodw]

22. Not only that...

...but Gallup has been oversampling Republicans, on the (wrong) theory that Republicans make up a bigger percentage of the electorate. Which would be useful to them if it happened to be true. But it's not. Democrats were a few percentage points more of the electorate in 2000. So there's really no legitimate reason for Gallup to be questioning 12% more Republicans than Democrats. And no reason for CNN to be letting them get away with it.

Except for the reason which we alas know all too well.

[Was_Immer]

11. You refer to CBS news

But did you see the woman from Israel. She is registering to vote too. Shes a US citizen living in Israel (something to that effect) anyhow, she said she would vote for dubya b/c of the war on terrorism. So I guess its a flip side to the coin.

[clydefrand]

8. We will prevail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know it! Too many new voters to prevent it. They are by far the Dems who are signing up to vote. Repugs have been signed up for years. Too many Dems have thought the rich always get what they want because of their buying power...even the votes. Call it low self-esteem! Last Saturday, a Dem went to a function in the city of Roanoke where African Americans were dominating the scene. When she tried to give some of them bumpers stickers, their comment was, "We are black. You don't think we're going to vote for Bush, do you?" I'm sure there are black Bush admirers, but they are few and far between, I'll wager.

[Was_Immer]

12. I think you mean Republican

I think you mean republican? You said a dem went to Roanoke.

[Cocoa]

13. this is terrifying news to the republicans

they're freaking out all over the place.

[janx]

14. Yes, and yet what did they expect? Bush* can only fool and frighten

people for so long. He and Cheney et al. can only cry wolf for so long.

[malatesta1137]

26. Not so fast

they have Diebold and the mobsters on the Supreme Court on their side.

[funkybutt]

15. I'm shooting for 75...already registered 51

working full time and registering people in my "free" time...it's hard work..and I sure hope these people turn out. But I definitely get the impression when I'm registering someone that they understand how critical this election is. Lastnight this lady at the grocery store went home and returned with her 19 year old daughter who hadn't registered. "we can't take 4 more years of making wars!"

[slojim240]

17. Increased registration in states already "blue" doesn't help Dems.

It's those "red" states we need to be after.

[lancdem]

18. Ohio is a red state

[wildeyed]

23. I dunno......

I would just register voters where ever you live. I mean, you don't want to take it for granted, look at the polls in NJ. Plus registering voters is good for your soul. Good to be out on the front lines of democracy.

I know, if you are a blue state person, go to your local college or university and make sure that all the out of state students are registered in their home state and have requested absentee ballots.

[shrike]

19. The Chicago Daley machine used to DRIVE people to the polls

Obviously you won't follow them into the voting booths, but the concept is good -- have a caravan of drivers who'll volunteer to get people to the polls.

[wildeyed]

24. I was reading the Clinton book.

GOTV in the small, rural districts in Arkansas. If you didn't show up at the polls by 2 PM, someone would drive over to your house, find out why you hadn't voted yet, and get your butt out to vote.
B-)

I do some registration at small residential programs. The reason being they are mostly dems and it is easy for me to pick everyone up, drive them all at the same time to vote.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

25. We used to do that in Louisville, too...

back in the old days when the Dems had a real good organization in Kentucky...

[Zorra]

20. In swing and blue states, Dems are outregistering pugs by large margins.

But even in the red states, like Oklahoma, it's almost 50-50.

It's my guess that the newly registerd independents will go 65% Kerry, 30% Bu$h, and 5% other.

My reasoning here is that a lot of former non-voters are afraid of Bu$h and are incensed about Bu$h lying us into the senseless war in Iraq. Bu$h has done absolutely nothing positive to induce anyone that can read to register to vote for him.

OTOH, everything he has done has been a miserable failure. He has permitted a terrorist attack, is squashing our freedom and civil rights, killing our planet, destroying our economy, he lied us into a morale crushing war, etc, ad nauseum. So indies generally want to get rid of him as badly as Dems, they just don't want to commit to a party.

So, Bu$h is toast unless he steals the election.

[Mrs_Beastman]

21. Northeast Ohio....verify your voter status!

Found this info in The Plain Dealer this weekend. They are suggesting verifying you are registered because of the massive number of people registrating to vote, they are having problems with lost registrations, registration in the wrong county, etc.

Make your vote count!

Cuyahoga county Board of Elections:216-443-3298 or www.cuyahoga.oh.us/BOE

Geauga County Board of Elections:440-285-2222,press 1.then 4010#;or www.electionohio.com/geauga

Lake County Board of Elections:440-350-2700 or www.lakeelections.com

Lorain County Board of Elections:440-326-5900; www.lorainboe.erienet.net.

Medina County Board Of Elections:330-722-9278; www.oh.us/election/elect.htm.

Portage County Board of Elections:330-297-3511;
www.electionohio.com/portage.

Summit County Board of Elections:330-643-5200; www.co.summit.oh.us/BOE/boe.htm.