Many Mainers visit polls early; registration up

[MaineDem]

Election Day is two weeks away, but John Robinson on Monday was wearing an "I Voted Today" sticker on his jacket.

Robinson, 79, got his absentee ballot after waiting in line at Portland City Hall, where a makeshift polling place allows residents to register, obtain absentee ballots and then place their votes.

Across Maine, large numbers of people like Robinson are casting their ballots early. Election officials are seeing surges in voter registration, and get-out-the-vote drives are in full force.

...

As of late last week, more than 2,800 people had newly registered to vote in Portland since Sept. 1. That's nearly five times the 604 new registrations at the same time during the 2000 campaign.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/041019votersurge.shtml

And I have to believe that most of these new voters are Kerry supporters. Just a feeling I have...

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. People don't go out and register in such massive numbers

if they are pleased with the way things are going. A lot of the new voters are folks who have never voted before. It has taken the disaster of the Bush Administration to make them get off their duffs and go to the courthouse (or wherever) to register and vote.

[quispquake]

2. I just think of the turnout at the primaries...

Instead of the 45 in the 2000 election, almost 2000 showed up in Waterville...pretty mind boggling...

These polls are not even close...they are not taking into consideration the new voters, which will turn this election...they want everyone thinking it's close so that these criminals can try to steal the election again...

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

3. I definitely think Maine will go to Kerry.

100% of the electoral votes too.