Bush's Ground Game in Jeopardy as Democrats Outdo Republicans in Voter Registration

With just weeks before the presidential election, President Bush may be facing a tough challenge. Despite his strong lead in many polls, Democrats have outdone Republicans in registering new voters in key battleground states. An article in The Washington Post suggests that these new registrations could be a crucial factor in the election, particularly in states like Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Ohio.

Key Takeaways:

• America Coming Together, a coalition of liberal, feminist, and environmental organizations, has registered 400,000 new voters nationwide, with the majority in battleground states.
• Moving America Forward, a Latino advocacy group founded by New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, has registered 140,000 new, mostly Hispanic voters in key states.
• The vast majority of new registrations in Colorado, Florida, and New Mexico have been Democrats, with only 20% being Republicans and 20% independents.
• Voter registration has surged in Republican-leaning Virginia, with the heaviest activity in the Washington, D.C., suburbs.
• Many Democrats believe that polls may not accurately reflect the intensity of passion among left-leaning voters, who may be motivated to vote for the first time out of anger at Bush and his policies.
• The Republican National Committee claims to have registered four million new voters, but Democratic National Committee officials refuse to give an estimate.
• Experts caution against reading too much into registration numbers, as many new registrants may simply be new state residents or people who have moved within their state.

Statistics:

• 400,000: The number of new voters registered nationwide by America Coming Together.
• 131,000: The number of new registrations in Pennsylvania.
• 120,000: The number of new registrations in Missouri.
• 85,000: The number of new registrations in Ohio.
• 140,000: The number of new registrations in key states by Moving America Forward.
• 60%: The percentage of new registrations in Colorado, Florida, and New Mexico that have been Democrats.
• 20%: The percentage of new registrations in Colorado, Florida, and New Mexico that have been Republicans.
• 20%: The percentage of new registrations in Colorado, Florida, and New Mexico that have been independents.
• 4 million: The number of new voters registered by the Republican National Committee.

Sources:

• Washington Post
• New York Times
• Sept. 26, 2004 ( story )
• America Coming Together
• Moving America Forward
• Washington Post/ABC News poll
• University of Virginia politics professor Larry Sabato
• Claremont McKenna College professor Jack Pitney
• Republican National Committee spokesman Terry Holt
• Democratic National Committee officials
• Hendrix College visiting scholar Lara Brown
• Emory University professor Merle Black