Voter registrations soar in Minnesota

[inanna]

Source: StarTribune.com

New registrations are skyrocketing in Minnesota. An analysis of the numbers would appear to reflect an apparent edge for the Democrats, particularly at the presidential level.

A surge of new-voter registrations in Minnesota this year is happening primarily in DFL strongholds, at a rate that could change the state's political landscape if those new voters show up on Election Day.

New registrations in solidly Democratic areas are running nearly 2-1 ahead of the number in solidly Republican areas, according to a computer analysis of the registrations and voting patterns conducted by the Star Tribune.

More than 100,000 new voters had registered in the state as of last Tuesday, about 46,000 of them in areas that Democrat John Kerry won by a margin of 10 percentage points or more in the 2004 presidential election. That compares with 25,000 in areas that President Bush carried by that margin.


Read more: http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/30924344.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DUoaK7D_V_eDc87DUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

[fasttense]

1. You can register but you may not vote.

All over America, Republicons are attempting to prevent people from voting. Republicon operatives are causing confusion and delays by filing frivolous suits and disrupting early voting to prevent the average Joe from casting his ballot.

Once again, Republicons stand in the way of American Democracy.

So far I have counted 7 states that are having problems with early voting. They include: Michigan, Colorado, South Carolina, West Virginia, Florida, Indiana and Georgia.

Republicons don't want a Democracy; they want a dictatorship.

[trotsky]

2. Fortunately, Minnesota is also home to the provisional ballot.

If there is any question as to your status, you will still be allowed to vote on election day, and then your registration will be verified after.

[Doremus]

4. Maybe they'll be counted... at least the ones left after gop challenges, end runs and spilled coffee

I would say a lot depends on the political affiliation of your secretary of state or head of elections. If s/he is a repug, good luck with that.

But you're right, provisional ballots are a little better than barring all dems from voting, which was the gop's first choice.

[trotsky]

5. Yes, thankfully we kicked out the P.O.S. S.O.S. two years ago.

Our current SoS helped bring about this registration increase. He's a great guy.

[TomClash]

6. Provisional ballots are useless

Those votes will never count. It's a means of disenfranchising voters.

[SoCalDem]

3. "Early-voting" scares me.. HOW do we KNOW that those votes are even counted

The early voters tend to be the MOST devoted, most "partisan" people..the ones who have been itching to vote for YEARS...so what if thousands of them go and vote early, give a heads up to the nefarious vote-manipulators who will then just "poof" all those votes as they get "blended" in to the election day votes?

We need a HOLIDAY for election day..

[crickets]

7. Agreed! Election day should be a holiday.

But apparently, that would make too much sense. Likely the reason we don't have one: everyone would actually have an entire day to get their vote cast without worrying about getting through the line in a timely enough manner not to upset the boss at work.

[AndyTiedye]

9. What Happens to Early Votes…

…if something happens to Obama?

:hurts:

[SomeGuyInEagan]

11. In 2002, early votes for Wellstone in Minnesota ...

... were not counted for Mondale in the election when he took Wellstone's place on the ballot following Wellstone's death.

[AndyTiedye]

12. Does That Mean If They Do It on Election Day They Automatically Win?

:scared:

[KamaAina]

10. It is a state holiday here

and in CT as well, I believe. Probably others, too. So why not a Federal holiday?

Of course, most private employers blithely ignore state holidays (such as Prince Kuhio Day, Statehood Day, etc.), so the law here also allows workers two hours off in order to vote.

[Phred42]

8. Are the Reich-wing voter purges still cancelling thie out?