Bizarre statement on NPR just now.

[Doctor_J]

The election beat reporter said "In new registrations, Dems outnumber Repukes anywhere from 2:1 to 6:1. This will help Obama if he can get them to the polls"

:wtf:

Why would people register then not go and vote? Or is this person predicting that voter suppression will be overwhelming?

[Curtland1015]

1. (Minorities are lazy)

That's the message. Fuck NPR.

[iceman66]

9. Amen to that!

[onenote]

22. no its not the message and its not bizarre at all.

The message is simple. Lots of people will get registered when they encounter a registration drive -- in other words, they aren't self motivated to get registered, but do so when its made easy for them. But voting requires self motivation and a lot of those folks who never bothered to register because they weren't motivated to do so and only did because it was made easy for them will then find other things to do on election day.

[ogneopasno]

2. This often happens.

New voters aren't necessarily motivated voters. There's a reason they're new voters and have never voted before -- transportation issues, are ignorant of the possibility of getting off work, etc. Same with the much touted "young vote" -- they get all energized, then don't show.

[TwilightGardener]

3. People register and then don't vote all the time. You might have

good intentions on election day, or before election day, and it just doesn't pan out, or you feel lazy.

[maseman]

4. It is a very legit concern

Someone stopping by a booth at a fair or public event to register is easy. Taking the initiative to go and vote is a different step.

[Lifetimedem]

5. there is always a large number that end up not voting

weather is a major factor Cold or rain or God forbid an early snow..

[elocs]

6. I think that a lot of newly registered voters are young people who are inspired by Obama,

but young people are also very poor at actually getting out there and casting their vote. The Obama campaign has to get them to the polls.

[treestar]

7. People dumb enough to forget they registered

Maybe the campaign registered them and they think it's over - they already voted for Obama.

Has always been a Dem problem. GOTV. Same with the young voters. They get enthusiastic and even work for the campaign. Then maybe on election day they have homework or their boyfriend broke up with them. Never underestimate the short attention span and frivolity of Americans.

[HughMoran]

8. Happens all the time

The same people who "couldn't be bothered" to register are also less likely to get out and vote. It's a matter of motivation - we still have a LOT of work to do ensuring that these folks actually get to the polls and vote. If a lot are younger voters, they are notorious for not voting no matter what they tell people.

[Drunken Irishman]

10. It happens all the time.

A lot of people register, but maybe they feel by the time the election rolls around their vote won't matter, so they stay home. Possibly, they get sidetracked and forget to vote, since, you know, it's their first time.

It happens.

[lamp_shade]

11. If you haven't already, be sure to get involved with your local GOTV.

[GOTV]

12. Because registration often happens at fairs, festivals and other places where people are anyway....

... while voting is not something you generally have an opportunity to do on the way to hear the band.

Many people register with good intentions but, if they had to go to a polling place during work hours to register they wouldn't do it.

[sharp_stick]

13. We saw it in NH in 2004

I and a few friends went up to get people to the polls. We had 3 vans to pick up new voters (registered) and I could have fit everyone that showed up in my car, 4 people in total. The rest never bothered to show up.

It's not uncommon at all, especially among younger people, every year I hope they'll turn up in bigger numbers than they usually do but I no longer count on them. This year, my hope is up again and the same friends and I will be back in NH to try again.

[AndyTiedye]

29. Your GOTV Phones Were Being Jammed in NH in 2004

A Republican operative actually went to jail for it.

[mucifer]

14. Many people don't vote even tho they are registered. I canvassed in Indiana Sat.

They are sending people knocking on the same doors every week. EVERY door because it is a very dem area (East Chicago, Indiana). What we were told is that many people don't vote. So reminding them over and over again about how important their vote is the strategy. There were lots of friendly people. I think it will work well there. It is much more fun to canvass in a proObama area than a mixed area. I went to Iowa once a few weeks ago to canvass for Obama. I'm gonna return to Indiana next weekend for more canvassing.

[theoldman]

15. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Young people get very enthusiastic and then fail to vote.

[RoadRage]

16. Lots of people register.. but don't vote.

They stop by at a voter registration booth at a fair or someone knocks on their door and gets them to register - but 3 months later they totally forget.

Not everyone is a politic addict like we are.. some people really WILL NOT realize that Nov. 4th is voting day.

Which is why it's even more fantastic that Obama has 2.5 million + cell phone numbers to text and remind people to vote.. and many of those people will forward that along to their freinds & family members.

I forsee many more dems "remembering" to vote then republicans this year.. the infastructure is there for the first time ever!

[Freddie Stubbs]

17. Many people register to vote because someone asks them to

Someone knocks on their door or stops them in front of the supermarket. They help the potential voter fill out the form and even turn it in to the voter registration office. Is this person motivated enough to actually head to the polls and potentially stand in line on election day?

[Frustratedlady]

18. All they have to do is ask for an absentee ballot. Postage free!

In this day and age, there is no excuse for not voting. They were even voting at a grocery store here, today.

[onenote]

19. people register because its easy. then sometimes they don't vote

because they have to take time from work. Or they decide its not that important.

A lot of the new registrations are the result of drives in which people were asked whether they were registered and were then registered on the spot, not unregistered voters who took the initiative to seek out voter registration materials and send them in themselves.

On the other hand, voting requires someone to take the intiative. And, sadly, a lot of folks simply don't. Especially new voters who weren't self motivated to register.

[Marrah_G]

20. OMG ... NPR called them "Repukes"?

[styersc]

21. So many of our newly registered voters are young (18-24) and

they are notorious "no shows" on election day.

[endarkenment]

23. The media will not predict an Obama landslide until Nov 5. nt.

[weezie1317]

24. Democrats register, Republicans vote. This is a long-standing problem for us and a legit concern.

[nc4bo]

25. A few days before the election, Obama should fill hold a huge rally, somewhere big!

These events never EVER fail to inspire EVERYone.

The Obama-high would last for days, right up to the election.

[AndyTiedye]

26. Everything from Caging to Threats of Arrest for Unpaid Parking Tickets

[LisaM]

27. These are people who weren't registered to vote to begin with

I know it's not easy for everyone, but OTOH, some of the people obviously just never bothered. Look, I've had my heart broken in a lot of elections, but it doesn't stop me from keeping my registration current and always going to the polls.

[Doctor_J]

28. Interesting. Thanks for all of the replies. It just seemd that

people who took the time to register this cycle, especially those who registered for a particular party, did so because they were excited about voting.

GOTV

[John Q. Citizen]

35. Often it's it's because they were asked and engaged by a volunteer that they

registered in the first place.

[DebJ]

30. I can witness to that happening, and can give some reasons why,.

In 2004, I personally registered over 400 people in the city of York, Pa. That was just me, and hundreds of us from multiple organizations combed the city all summer and into the fall.
Voter turnout in York Pa for the 2004 GE : 10 friggin percent!!!

Reasons why: many were living in what clearly appeared to be extreme poverty. Many were so disconnected from our political system that as I registered them, they could not
even NAME a single political party, much less choose one. I registered people as independents or other by a 3-1 margin.

Not only are these people completely politically disconnected (and distrustful of govt in general), their families have been this way for many generations. They have not seen
anyone vote. They do not know what voting is.....it is some bizarre ritual, or strange, unknown thing in the emotional portions of their mind.

The best thing I saw in the primaries this spring was when two girls doing GOTV had the same first time voter tell them three times at the door that he was going to vote later. Now, mind you, he only had to go three buildings down to the local church. Three buildings!! These two perky, pretty college students, 30 minutes before the polls closed, hooked their arms in his, one on each side, smiled broadly, and said, Let us walk you there! And they did, and he voted, for the first time in his life. Now it is not an unknown to him, he knows what it is and how to do it, and hopefully he will go of his own accord on November 4 and bring a friend or neighbor, too. This is such a big piece of the problem in the city, I just can't tell you how much. Many said to me, no, I'm not going to vote, but I'm supporting Barack! with a big enthusiastic smile, as if that was all they needed to do. There is total disconnect, total lack of comprehension, no experience at all from which to draw.

[Bluenorthwest]

31. Everyone I know, young and old

simply can not wait to vote for Obama, and I mean they are looking forward to it with glee. Like Christmas morning, it can not come soon enough. Yes, we still need to get people to polls, but my feeling is that they will be rushing to the polls, even the first timers, maybe especially the first timers.

[John Q. Citizen]

32. Repeat voters tend to show up more reliably than do new voters.

People who have voted their whole lives always vote. In fact , I've long held that if Obama can get his voters to the polls he will win.

I find it strange that you find it strange.

[DefenseLawyer]

33. People that make an effort to go register are more likely to vote

in my opinion, but people that register at a table set up somewhere- somewhere they were going to be anyway- an act which requires little or no effort on their part doesn't necessarily translate into a voter on election day.

[CottonBear]

34. My goddaughter registered to vote but then did not vote in any primaries or local elections

because she said "I don't know anything about the candiates." :banghead:

Oy! I told her you have to vote in the primaries in order to choose the general election candidates and that one must be an educated and informed voter which means DO YOUR RESEARCH. These kids are young and still shocked that, in college, they are tested on information that is in the textbook but not discussed in class! They don't yet realize you have to research on your own and read all of the information that is assigned. Information is not spoonfed to you like in high school.

She is going to vote in November.

[nosillies]

36. New registrations do not mean new voters.

I recently registered to vote, simply becuase I moved to a new state. I imagine thousands more of these "newly-registered" voters being counted in these numbers are just like me: long-term Democratic voters who are more accurately "re-registering." We're nothing to get excited about.

I went to get a new driver's license, they asked me if I wanted to vote, I said "yes," boom, it was done. Really simple. Simpler than going to vote.

NPR is the one place you usually won't find bizarre statements.

[Lex]

37. Are you serious?

It's a well known typical behavior.