LUCAS MANN, THE NATION
In 2004, the anticipated surge in voting among traditionally Democratic constituencies–the young, minorities, low-income families–never materialized. Turnout among black and Hispanic voters trailed that of whites by at least 7 percent; people earning more than $50,000 outvoted those making less than $20,000 by 34 percent; and 72 percent of Americans 55 and older showed up at the polls, compared with only 47 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds.
But activists are optimistic that 2008 will be different. “We didn’t have to go hunting for people this year,” said Katy Gall, ACORN‘s state director in Ohio. “People come up to us saying, ‘You bet I want to vote. This election is historic.'” ACORN and Project Vote have partnered to sign up 1.3 million new, mostly low-income voters, including 153,898 in Pennsylvania, 151,812 in Florida and 247,335 in Ohio, all important swing states. Rock the Vote has accumulated an additional 2.5 million new registrations.
Smaller, more targeted efforts have also been successful. A sixty-day registration drive in eleven states organized by the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation signed up 60,000 new voters. Student PIRGs have helped to register 110,000 voters on college campuses; Head Count has registered 57,000 people just at concerts; and the Hip Hop Caucus has signed up 50,000 18- to 29-year-olds without a college degree, a group deeply underrepresented at the polls. Now, says Gall, “it’s our job to make people understand: you are registered, you can vote.”
Read the original Nation article here.