Election Day Registration is getting more Democratic support. So far States that allow voters to register and vote on the same day have a experienced a spike in turnout. For example, New Hampshire’s Primary turnout was highest of all primaries thus far at 52.4% (up from 44.4% in 2000), and Iowa’s caucus turnout was highest of all caucuses thus far at 16.4% (up from 6.8% in 2000).

A total of eight States have Election Day Registration: New Hampshire, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Montana, Maine, Wyoming, and Idaho. North Carolina allows same day registration at early voting sites three days before an election but not on Election Day. States with Election Day Registration routinely have turnout at a rate of 10-12 percentage points higher than States that don’t.

While there are some reputable studies purporting that Election Day Registration is not a knight in shining armor, 22 States now have introduced pending legislation in favor of it and more are sure to follow suit. Moreover, a few members of Congress led by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) are introducing a bill (top-heavy on the Democratic side of the aisle) in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Indiana Voter ID decision. However, increasing turnout is not a red or blue issue, and when it comes to the sanctity of our elections we should be thinking red, white and blue.

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Posted in Election Reform, Election Day registration | No Comments »

WASHINGTON, D.C — The Democratic Party has publicly and now privately split as to how (and when) Superdelegates should choose to wield their power, and promises to spawn even more divisiveness should the weight of nomination come down on their shoulders. Voters want to know: Will the average citizen ever be able to influence the system of private brokering of Superdelegate votes? (more…)

Posted in Election Reform, Convention, Superdelegate, What are superdelegates?, What are super delegates?, Super Delegate, Internet Registration, Election administration, Opinions, Election 2008, D.C., Internet Voting, Legislation | 1 Comment »

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – I hopped off the campaign trail last week. I thought I needed some space, but I soon found myself yearning for the ebb-and-flow of election energy. Drama among the Democrats, rifts in the Republican base, increasing turnout, and polling percentages… for a political junkie it is all too addicting. Today’s candidate contests are being held in Wisconsin, Hawaii (for the Dems), and Washington (again). (more…)

Posted in Campaign finance, Hawaii, Mail-in voting, Washington, Election Reform, Polling, Wisconsin, Absentee ballots, Legislation, Primary schedule, Election administration, Election 2008, Election Day registration, Early voting | 1 Comment »

NEW YORK, NEW YORK — The 2008 nominating contests are highly contested and are attracting record turnout levels in State after State. Candidates are doing their best to maintain this upward trend in turnout; however, Republican turnout is sure to falter after Super Tuesday’s results.

For the Democrats, in this spectacle horse race, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton continue to inspire new voters (more…)

Posted in History, Nebraska, Kansas, Election Reform, Washington, Louisiana, Opinions, Election administration, Election 2008, Weekend voting | 1 Comment »

NEW YORK, NEW YORK — Mitt Romney just announced the end of his bid for the Republican nomination. In today’s political climate, big money and high-paid consultants alone do not make the grade. Successful campaigns and candidates must be multi-dimensional in order to woo multi-media oriented voters.

In that vein, Romney and his staff never came to grips with what voters were looking for in a President. (more…)

Posted in New Media, Election Reform, Mitt Romney, 10Questions, YouTube, Election 2008, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »