Back in May, with the presidential primary still underway, our campaign launched a massive, 50 state voter registration drive. Four and half months later, the results are beginning to take shape.
From the San Antonio Express News:
Texas already has passed the registered voter total recorded in 2004, 13.1 million. Since the March 4 primary, some 400,000 voters have registered statewide.
Minnesota Public Radio reports:
The Minnesota Secretary of State's office reports about 5,000 voters added to the rolls every two weeks, putting Minnesota's voter registration rate at record levels.
From WIBC News in Indiana:
Intense interest in the presidential election is driving a surge in voter registration. Monday is the last day to register to vote in the November election. Registration is up six-percent from two years ago, with more than a quarter-million new voters signing up this year. That number will go up even more, as some voters wait till the last minute, and the political parties turn in hundreds of signed forms they've gathered...
In some states, even as voter registration continues Early Voting has already begun. From the Georgia Courier Herald:
As of Friday, more than 1,400 people in Laurens County had registered to vote and another 458 absentee ballots had been mailed, including 68 to military personnel. As of Friday, 386 residents had voted in the office during the first week of early voting, said Rooks. “I have never had this many before,” she said. The trek to the polls began Sept. 22 as early voting opened across Georgia.... Strong interest in the presidential race has seen the number of voter registrations soar. Nearly 100,000 new voters registered in the state in August alone. The last day to register [in Georgia] is Oct. 6.
As of Friday, more than 1,400 people in Laurens County had registered to vote and another 458 absentee ballots had been mailed, including 68 to military personnel. As of Friday, 386 residents had voted in the office during the first week of early voting, said Rooks.
“I have never had this many before,” she said.
The trek to the polls began Sept. 22 as early voting opened across Georgia.
... Strong interest in the presidential race has seen the number of voter registrations soar. Nearly 100,000 new voters registered in the state in August alone. The last day to register [in Georgia] is Oct. 6.
These record numbers have not come by accident. In many cases, they're the result of ordinary Americans taking time out of their lives to help bring new people into the political process, one voter at a time. In places like Pawleys Island, South Carolina they've been at it for months:
Every Saturday since July, the grassroots group Pawleys Island for Obama has been setting up a tent on the corner of Waverly and Petigru in Pawleys Island, SC. Here, they hold up signs, cheer to passing drivers, sell Obama t-shirts, bumper stickers and buttons, and register as many new voters as they can. Elizabeth, one of the group administrators, said, "On our very first day, we ran out of our 100 bumper stickers in less than two hours!" She said the group plans to continue staffing the tent every Saturday through the election to boost voter registration and voter turnout. For Mary, her work on the ground has provided a lasting experience that she is proud to stand by. "This is the time to step up and take action on behalf of our country," she explained. "Getting involved in the Obama campaign has been such a wonderful experience. For the first time in my life, I feel that I'm fighting for my country in a meaningful way... I want my children to look back and say, our mother fought for this in the neighborhoods, on the streets. She stepped up. They'll do the same one day.
Every Saturday since July, the grassroots group Pawleys Island for Obama has been setting up a tent on the corner of Waverly and Petigru in Pawleys Island, SC. Here, they hold up signs, cheer to passing drivers, sell Obama t-shirts, bumper stickers and buttons, and register as many new voters as they can.
Elizabeth, one of the group administrators, said, "On our very first day, we ran out of our 100 bumper stickers in less than two hours!" She said the group plans to continue staffing the tent every Saturday through the election to boost voter registration and voter turnout.
For Mary, her work on the ground has provided a lasting experience that she is proud to stand by. "This is the time to step up and take action on behalf of our country," she explained. "Getting involved in the Obama campaign has been such a wonderful experience. For the first time in my life, I feel that I'm fighting for my country in a meaningful way... I want my children to look back and say, our mother fought for this in the neighborhoods, on the streets. She stepped up. They'll do the same one day.
In many states, the deadline to register to vote is just a few days away. If you haven't already, you can register to vote at VoteForChange.com in just a few minutes.
If you have friends or family who support Barack but might not be registered, you can use our online email tool to send them a message about VoteForChange.com. Don't worry -- we won't hold on to any of the email addresses you share. It only takes a minute, and for your friends and family it could mean the difference between participating and sitting on the sidelines come November.
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