PA Voter Registration Hits Record High for Primary

[RiverStone]

Source: ABC News

April 18, 2008 6:33 PM

ABC News' Nitya Venkataraman Reports: Ahead of the state's Tuesday contest, the Pennsylvania Department of State announced a record number of voters registered for the primary election.

Though this year's final tally of 8,328,123 voters is a record number of registrations for a primary contest in Pennsylvania, the record for any election remains the 2004 general election when 8,366,663 Pennsylvanians registered to vote.

Since January, 218,923 new voters have registered: nearly 70 percent of them as Democrats; 18 percent as Republicans.

Tuesday's primary in the Keystone State is a closed primary: state voters must be registered members of a political party to vote in that party's primary. Since January, 164,026 registered voters changed their affiliation to Democratic; 14,887 registered for the G.O.P.



Read more: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/04/pa-voter-regist.html

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The deck in PA is loaded with Dems --- 70% of the new voters since January registered blue!!! :applause:

That has to bode well for the GE.

p.s. Sorry for the source. I was actually going to ABC News to see if the mods or producers of the joke debate had eaten any crow yet. Not!

[connecticut yankee]

1. I wonder how many of them

are Rush Limbaugh "Operation Chaos" voters -- Repubs who deliberately changed their registration to vote in the Democratic primary.

He is urging them to do so to vote against Hillary, and is taking credit for every vote against her.

And then he accuses the Dems of crooked tactics.

[RiverStone]

2. I thought the "closed" primary prevented too much of that...

Are not pukes that change colors forced to stick with it in the GE?

I'll admit, I'm not sure.

I was hoping PA was insulated from the TX puke registration tactics (per Rush).

[seriousstan]

4. They may have to stay Dem. but nobody knows a voter's vote.

[Purveyor]

6. I know of nowhere were party declaration dictates the GE vote...

[AlinPA]

7. Party membership means nothing as far as voting goes in the GE. I know that names

are kept in different books where I live, so when you walk up to vote they ask your party only to find your name.

[meow2u3]

13. PA has "30 day Democrats" or, less often, "30 day Republicans"

You can change your voter affiliation 30 days after the primary. You just have 30 days before the election to register or make changes to your registration.

[CANDO]

3. He's been urging them to vote FOR Hillary

They see her as easier to beat in GE, and also for this tactic to extend the Dem. primary resulting in a severely bloodied nominee with exhausted resources.

[DLnyc]

5. But wasn't he also telling all his minions they MUST STOP MCCAIN???

(So it's not absolutely clear that he has precise control of whomever he believes holds him in such high regard, nor precisely how many these alleged minions might number.)

[CANDO]

19. I know he's an oxycontin induced whack-job

And he sure found out his minions don't follow his every command when he urged them to go for Romney(i think). But this operation chaos is centered on urging them to vote for Hillary, not Barack. In the end, not important.

[connecticut yankee]

11. He's been attacking both Hillary and Obama

he's trying to destroy them both for the GE.

Before "Operation Chaos," he had the "Stop Hillary Express."

He's a megalomaniac and rants endlessly about how powerful he is and how he can control the election outcome.

He was against McCain during the primary, but now he'll take him over whichever Dem gets the nomination.

I listen to him to get my adrenaline going. It works!

[MJJP21]

8. SWITCHING

I'm one of those republicans who switched and I did so to vote for Obama. Unlike Ohio and Texas there is effort when you want to switch in PA. You have to request paperwork and fill it out , send it in and then have a voter card sent to you. So in my way of thinking most republicans that switched are doing so for Obama. I just don't see former republicans all fired up to vote for Hillary.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

9. I have a serious question for you:

Why? What is it about Obama that led you to switch? I am not facetious or confrontational with this question at all. I am sincerely interested in one former Republican's story. It is no small thing, what you have done, and these stories always edify when told.

And welcome to DU. Most sincerely.

[MJJP21]

16. Answer to why

I am also an ex ditto head of some 18 years. The reason I changed is that I finally saw through the BS of the conservative movement. Whether you are a dem rep or whatever it is more important to be a good American and that means to me to put the country first not your rich friends or yourself as I have witnessed repeatedly. This may be insulting to you but the way I see Obama is really what a republican (or good American)should be. Let me explain further by saying the recent fiasco with Rush telling his minions to cross over and vote for Hillary thereby muddying the waters and giving her a chance to win the primary. Why is it that the republicans would rather face Hillary than Obama if Obama is so far left wing?If what the republicans were offering was truly a separate menu they should be proud to put it on the table. Having two conservatives fighting each other and Hillary carrying the baggage of the past I think it would be a slam dunk for McCain. I believe they know that Barack will bring to the table a new menu that will really appeal to most.That is what scares Rush and the other republicans to death. As an armchair student of history I also realize that no nation of the past ever achieved greatness while its citizens did their own thing.Here is where Rush is monumentally wrong and a hypocrite. He often encourages those who are down trodden to just pull themselves up by their bootstraps and change things. I know it is not possible in most cases to do this regardless of the spin. Rush champions himself on being a football expert. Ask Rush where would the team be if everyone did what they wanted? The country is no different.We have serious problems and need serious leaders and regardless of whether or not Barack can come through or not he is the best their is.

[livetohike]

18. Welcome to DU

:hi:

[tanyev]

10. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[Hugin]

12. How refreshing!

Nice to have you among us!

Dang, now I'm going to be happy all day. :7

[RiverStone]

15. Damn good choice!

I'd enjoy hearing what about Obama turned you from red to blue.

Welcome to DU! :hi: :kick:

[That Is Quite Enough]

14. 70 percent? Go PA!

That's a pretty inspiring statistic. :D
(Unless they're all Limbaugh Republican operatives.)

And a pretty short post seeing as how it's my first in such a long time. :P

[TheDoorbellRang]

17. So by my reckoning that's about 317,270 new democratic voters

in the PA primary. :bounce: