News Summary

MIDDLETOWN — So why is voter registration on an upswing for the 2008 general election?

A historic vote in a hotly contested race, the unpopular Iraq war and concerns over the economy, along with the ease of early voting are all factors officials are pointing to, along with aggressive efforts by both Democrat and Republican presidential campaigns to get more voters at the polls.

"We're positioned to have a record turnout of voters this fall," said Betty McGary, Butler County Board of Elections director.

"I'm not seeing any voter apathy," she said. "Voter apathy comes from complacency ... and that voters are satisfied with their lives. This particular year, the voters are not satisfied and we're going to hear from them."

Election of historic proportions

Both presidential candidates, Democratic Sen. Barrack Obama of Illinois, and Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, have been traveling the campaign trail, spending considerable time in Ohio, a key battleground state to win the presidency.

But no matter which candidate is elected, it will be historic: Obama would become the first black president; McCain would be the oldest person to take the presidential oath of office and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, would become the first female vice president.

While presidential elections do tend to draw more voters to the polls, excitement is especially evident among younger, college-age voters who feel they will be part of change and of history, said Gene Beaupre, a Xavier University political scientist.

His assessment is backed up by registrations in Butler and Warren counties.

"We're seeing a lot of younger people registering to vote, the first-time 18-year-olds," said Kier Holeman, director of the Warren County Board of Elections. "We've also had a lot of college kids asking about voting."

McGary agreed that a presidential election with no incumbent on the ballot "always piques more interest," but said this year, the winner "is anyone's guess."

"That's what makes elections exciting," she said. "It's like Christmas day because no one knows what their going to get. No one knows what the voters are going to do. But I believe they're going to vote."

Beaupre said the Iraq war and the economy are driving issues in the campaign, but he believes that voters "will vote with their gut than with their head and I think there's going to be more of that this year. This election is touching so many people's lives."

Preparing for record voter turnout

As two of the fastest-growing counties in Ohio, the number of registered voters in Butler and Warren counties is also fast-growing.

As of Wednesday, Oct. 1, Warren County reported 137,083 registered voters — up 831 from Wednesday last week; and 11,918 more than the 125,165 registered voters in the 2004 presidential election.

In Butler County, as of Wednesday, Oct. 1, there were 255,742 registered voters — up 1,162 since Monday, Sept. 29; and 17,720 more than the 238,022 voters registered for the 2004 presidential election.

Preble County has 28,639 registered voters as of Tuesday, Sept. 30. For the 2004 presidential election, there were 28,138 registered voters.

Statewide, as of Sept. 15, there were more than 8.03 million registered voters in Ohio, which is up from the more than 5.68 million voters registered as of Sept. 11, 2004, according to the Secretary of State's office.

Uncertain voters crossing party lines

Butler County, a GOP stronghold, turned blue in the March primary — 50,387 voters pulled Democratic ballots and 40,009 pulled Republican ballots, according to the Butler County Board of Elections.

Prior to the primary election, there were 244,188 registered voters: 45,711 Republicans; 21,640 Democrats; and 176,837 independent/non-afffiliated voters.

In Warren County, another GOP stronghold, Holeman said nearly as many voters pulled Democratic ballots as pulled Republican ballots for the primary — 28,854 voted Democrat and 29,210 voted Republican.

Prior to the election in March, there were 130,707 registered voters, which included 11,866 Democrats, 41,117 Republicans and 77,724 independent or non-affiliated voters.

Any Republicans who pulled Democratic ballots in the primary will remain as registered Democrats until the 2010 primary election, in accordance with Ohio law, Holeman said.

Another Ohio law is that anyone who hasn't voted in a general election in the past four years may find their registration status voided, as likely happened to Jermaine Shelby of Middletown, who registered to vote on Wednesday.

"I don't think it's right," he said of the state policy. "If I do want to vote there's something in my way."

Campaigns working on engaging voters

"Both campaigns, especially Obama's, are going out into the community to register voters," Beaupre said. "Obama has spent money not only on visible commercials, but is also working the ground game."

Butler County has two Obama headquarters, one in Middletown and another in Oxford; but none in Warren County. There are two Butler County McCain victory offices in West Chester and Fairfield townships, and one in Lebanon in Warren County.

The campaign has been "aggressive" in its effort to get voters registered and to promote early voting "to a broad cross-section of Ohioans," said Reggie Johnson, an Obama campaign spokesman.

"We're trying to get voters to take advantage of registering and voting early."

The McCain campaign also is reaching out.

"We have an aggressive grassroots outreach program aimed at encouraging Republicans, Democrats and independent supporters of the McCain-Palin ticket to register and cast their vote before Election Day," said Paul Lindsay, a McCain-Palin spokesman. "Barack Obama may believe that Hollywood celebrities will help him in Ohio, but these efforts will do nothing to convince voters that he is ready to lead."

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