Voter Registration

Registration continues to surge, particularly in urban areas in swing states (also, “the huge gains have come in areas with minority and low-income populations”), which seems almost certain to be good news for Kerry.

A record surge of potential new voters has swamped boards of election from Pennsylvania to Oregon, as the biggest of the crucial swing states reach registration deadlines today. Elections officials have had to add staff and equipment, push well beyond budgets and work around the clock to process the registrations.

… Today is the deadline for registering new voters in Pennsylvania, as well as Ohio, Michigan, Florida and 12 other states, and election workers will go on mandatory overtime to chip away at the thousands of forms that have been arriving daily.

… Registration numbers are impossible to tally nationwide, and how many of the newly registered will vote is a matter of some debate. But it is clear the pace is particularly high in urban areas of swing states, where independent Democratic groups and community organizations have been running a huge voter registration campaign for just over a year.

Still, filling out a card is relatively costless, while voting actually takes some time, so it’s far from certain that these newly-registered voters will actually show up on election day. If you happen to live in PA, OH, MI, FL, or for that matter, any other swing state and you have not yet registered yourself and all your friends, today is probably your last chance. Get to it!

AB