Oregon: The Democrats are coming. And they are coming in force...The buzz has been Obama.

[Emit]

This is How the GE is Won. Grassroots voter registration and GOTV planning.

'On election day, Obama might have more than a million individuals volunteering on his behalf. That should scare the beejeesus out of the McCain campaign and the RNC.'

The Democrats are coming. And they are coming in force.

A surge in Democratic voter registration that began earlier this year is peaking as Oregon nears the Tuesday deadline to register for the May 20 primary. Oregon's contest could be crucial in deciding whether Sen. Hillary Clinton or Sen. Barack Obama will win the Democratic nomination for president.

Oregon Democrats, who began the year with about 70,000 more registered voters than Republicans, have doubled that advantage, which stood Friday at 826,984 Democrats to 685,344 Republicans.

~snip~

Obama "buzz"

There are a few signs that Obama may be the main beneficiary of the new Democratic registrations.

According to local elections officials, the Obama campaign appears to have been more active in registering voters than the Clinton campaign. In Lane County, home of the University of Oregon and the kind of area where Obama has run strongly in other parts of the country, "it's primarily the Obama campaign" that has been registering voters, said Annette Newingham, chief deputy county clerk. "The Hillary Clinton campaign is pretty quiet in comparison."

"The buzz has been Obama," echoed Jackson County Clerk Chris Walker.

"We've seen more individuals wearing Obama campaign material coming in with registration forms," said Margaret Wu, Clackamas County elections manager.

Obama has trounced Clinton among younger voters in earlier primaries, and that could work to his advantage in Oregon. In the months before the 2006 primary, about half of newly registered voters were 18 to 30 years old. So far this year, 18- to 30-year-olds account for 58 percent of a much larger influx of new voters.

~snip~

Obama has 12 offices in Oregon, compared with seven for Clinton, and Shapiro said more than 35,000 Oregonians have signed up online to help the campaign, including registering voters. ... "It's pretty phenomenal to watch the change," said Washington County Elections Jeff Doty, adding that the Obama campaign "hit the ground running" in the western suburbs.

~snip~

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/oregonian/index.ssf?...


April 29 was the deadline to register for the May 20 primary in Oregon:

Clinton-Obama contest helps drive voter registration for May primary

~snip~

In a typical primary, about 50 percent of registered voters cast ballots. That improves to 70 or 80 percent in a general election, according to Annette Newingham, elections chief at Lane County Elections.

Newingham said her office is prepared for up to 70 percent of registered Democrats to cast ballots in the May 20 primary.

"We have heard nationwide of places ran out of ballots because they didn't prepare for that much turnout," she said. "So we're certainly ready. We're ready for people to come out and vote."

Elections officials said some independents and Republicans are changing party affiliation to take part in the Clinton-Obama vote May 20.

Oregon's primary is closed, meaning only registered Democrats can vote in Democratic races and only registered Republicans can vote in Republican races. Voters can take part in the primary of their choice by re-registering to vote and changing party affiliation before April 29.

http://www.kval.com/news/local/17670079.html

And on to the General Election...

Obama Campaign Launches "Vote For Change" Voter Registration Drive

Today, May 10, marks the first day of what the Obama campaign is calling its "Vote For Change" project. From barackobama.com:

On May 10th, Barack Obama is launching Vote for Change, an unprecedented 50-state voter registration and mobilization drive. More than 100 events will be held across the country that day. Obama volunteers will register new voters as the start of a six-month voter registration drive.

~snip~

The Vote For Change program will lay the foundation for Obama's general election get-out-the-vote efforts. Obama aides won't say much more, but I gather that the campaign is constructing an incredibly elaborate online interface to allow its more than a million donors and volunteers to directly persuade their neighbors through a variety of media. Names gathered from the voter registration effort will be merged with names gathered through Obama's primary efforts and the names off of the Democratic Party's integrated voter file as well as lists purchased from outside vendors.

On election day, Obama might have more than a million individuals volunteering on his behalf. That should scare the beejeesus out of the McCain campaign and the RNC.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/10/obama-voter-re...

This is How the GE is Won:

Obama Campaign Announces Vote for Change Co-Chairs

50-state voter registration drive kicks off on Saturday


CHICAGO, IL—Senator Barack Obama today announced the national co-chairs of Vote for Change, the Obama campaign’s 50-state voter registration drive. The fourteen co-chairs—leaders in government, the labor movement, the arts, and the faith community—will oversee the program’s efforts and act as surrogates to boost participation across the country.

“Barack Obama started his career as a community organizer in Chicago, working with communities devastated by plant closings, and after law school he returned to those neighborhoods to register new voters,” co-chair Melissa Etheridge said. “From the beginning of his career, he’s made change happen by enfranchising people at the grassroots, and that’s what Vote for Change is all about.”

“I’ve seen what can happen when everyday people feel like they have a stake in something bigger than themselves—and that they have the power to bring about real change,” co-chair Maria Elena Durazo said. “If we’re going to overcome the challenges we face as a nation, we’re going to need every American to participate in the process.”

“Everywhere I go, people feel the same urgency to get this country back on track,” Governor Deval Patrick said. “We need to restore some sense to our tax code. We need to end our dependence on foreign oil and help relieve the burden of soaring energy prices. And we need to end this misguided war. The larger our coalition in November, the stronger our mandate for change will be.”


Vote for Change National Co-Chairs


U.S. Representative John Barrow, 12th District, Georgia


U.S. Representative Melissa Bean, 8th District, Illinois


Anna Burger, Chair, Change to Win


Maria Elena Durazo, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO


Melissa Etheridge, Musician


Billy Frank Jr., Chairman, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission


Reverend Joseph Lowery, Chairman, Black Leadership Forum


Dave Matthews, Musician


U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, Missouri


Secretary Norman Mineta, Former Secretary of Transportation


Governor Deval Patrick, Massachusetts


Usher Raymond IV, Musician


U.S. Representative Linda Sanchez, 39th District, California


Kerry Washington, Actress

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/pa...

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