Voter registration surges

My hunch would be advantage Kerry. Virginia leans Republican, but it has a very strong Democratic base in the northern DC suburbs. That area has a very fast growth rate of young professionals (read new residents) and it could be that they are the ones who are in a hurry to register.

I think there are some who fear Bushs' reelection, and are unhappy with the way our country is headed, they feel passionate enough to get involved, and they want their voices to be heard.
Then there are those who fear Bush may actually lose this thing, and feel the need to stand up for their president. However it is my guess that the new registers are people who are feeling the hardships this admin. has caused, and though they did not feel the desire to participate in voting before, they are now determined to make a change. I only hope they remain fully informed and make conscious decisions, instead of listening to propaganda

bellavu
Agreed. I would also add that the basic Bush constituency, religious right and conservatives has been registered and voting all along. The undecided and uninterested, and now disgusted will be voting for a change.

au1929: Now we speak up and make a change!!!
Thats what I cant wait to see and celebrate!!
Like Kerry said "We can do better"

To be non-partisan in this one, I think the real advantage that this voter-registration surge provides is to America.

More people voting = a good thing, no matter whether they agree with your position or not.

Cycloptichorn

Well said, Cyc.

That one big eye can see the big picture.

Agreed re how increased voter registration helps America. But just to be partisan for a moment, I also think that this has to be a help for the Democrats.

I could be wrong, but I don't think so...

It must be a very stupid question, and since I didn't get an answer on an other thread until now ...

Well, I try it again: why do you have to register for voting?
Don't you have a registry/registration office in the USA?
And don't you have the right to vote?

Voter registration exists to make sure people are of age and live in the precinct in which they vote. Once you're registered (and unless you move), you don't have to register again. At least that's how it works where I've lived; it varies from state to state. And admittedly, attempts have been made to limit registration in US history. Take Florida, please...

How does it work in Germany, Walter?

My initial guess, WH, would be that the sheer size of the United states, coupled with early voting and our (retarded) electoral college system, led our leaders to devise a complicated plan in which we could ensure that people weren't voting twice.

It also ensures that people only vote in the state which they hold legal residence. Don't know why that matters so much for president, but for Congress things could get mighty sticky if you could move supporters around on busses to ensure your party's victroy.

I'll look into it more for you.

Cycloptichorn

ps I also believe that the Federal vs. State argument is going to come into play here; it is actually the state that authorizes you to cast a vote for the federal pres, IIRC.

I would say the surge favors democrats.....

FORD FESSENDEN, NY TIMES - A sweeping voter registration campaign in heavily Democratic areas has added tens of thousands of new voters to the rolls in the swing states of Ohio and Florida, a surge that has far exceeded the efforts of Republicans in both states, a review of registration data shows.

The analysis by The New York Times of county-by-county data shows that in Democratic areas of Ohio - primarily low-income and minority neighborhoods - new registrations since January have risen 250 percent over the same period in 2000. In comparison, new registrations have increased just 25 percent in Republican areas. A similar pattern is apparent in Florida: in the strongest Democratic areas, the pace of new registration is 60 percent higher than in 2000, while it has risen just 12 percent in the heaviest Republican areas.

While comparable data could not be obtained for other swing states, similar registration drives have been mounted in them as well, and party officials on both sides say record numbers of new voters are being registered nationwide. This largely hidden but deadly earnest battle is widely believed by campaign professionals and political scientists to be potentially decisive in the presidential election. . .

The precise impact of the swell in registration is difficult to predict, as there is no reliable gauge of how many of these new voters will actually vote. Some experts, though, say that the spike has not been accurately captured by political polls and could confound prognostications in closely contested states.

In order to vote in an election, it is necessary to be registered in an electoral register or in possession of a voting certificate.

Now, normally, you are automatically registered (for voting) in the community (city, town, village) where you live (because you have to register at the "registration of address office"). The electoral office of this community sends you the certificate a couple of weeks before the actual election.

If you can't vote in your polling station, you either ask for postal vote or for a certificate to vote in another polling station. (The last is somewhat limited, regarding if there are community, county, state elections.)

But what if the voter moves to another community? Is he or she responsible for changing the registration?

Maybe the big difference is that in the U.S., you have to register before you vote for the first time. Is it automatic in Germany?

That depends, D'art.

I'm not really quite sure about the time, but you have to live a couple of weeks (months, it actually will be) in a community, to vote there.
Same is with county, state.

So, it seems to be better that YOU look after that your registration is changed, when you move shortly before the date of an election.


Yes, first time registration is done automatically at the age of 16 (local/some states) resp. 18 (state/federal).

I think that it's not so much differences in registration procedures, but differences in the sense of civic responsibility, that account for voting (or non-voting) in the two countries.

Some believe that the traditional voting day in the U.S., a Tuesday, makes no sense at all--people tend to work that day!

It has been traditionally done here on Sundays - so some say, it makes no sense, because people are away then :wink:

It was recently uncovered that there are people who are registered to vote in two different states. And that some have been voting twice in the same election. Case in point there are thousands of retirees with residences in both Florida and NY. They registered to vote in Florida and continued to hold the NY State registration.
What some than did was to vote by mail in one state and at the polling place in the other. To answer your question no it is not legal and you can have only one legal residence. And they talk about voting in third world countries.

I couldn't disagree more.