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Colo. voter surge keeps parties nearly even

By Burt Hubbard, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published October 6, 2008 at 5:43 p.m.
Updated October 6, 2008 at 11:53 p.m.

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More than 100,000 Coloradans registered to vote in the past five weeks, leaving the state almost equally divided between unaffiliated, Republican and Democratic voters.

New figures from the Colorado Secretary of State's Office show that more than 3.1 million residents are registered to vote in the Nov. 4 presidential election, up 112,747 in the month of September and another 10,000 added in the first days of this month.

The number of voters is expected to rise as the state and counties process all the new registrations through Monday, the deadline for the November election.

"It's a big jump," said Ryan Call, political director for the Colorado Republican Party.

That's what happens when you are a swing state, said Pat Waak, chair of the Colorado Democratic Party.

"The interesting thing about this year is we're a battleground state," Waak said. "I don't think Colorado has ever been that before."

Registration figures show the number of unaffiliated voters is the largest bloc, with Republican voters trailing by a little more than 3,000 people. Each group has about a third of the state's voters.

Democrats, who made the largest gains during September, have moved up to 32 percent of the electorate.

The party registered more than two voters for every one new Republican during the month, 64,255 compared to 25,016. Unaffiliated voters increased by 30,329.

Even in the Republican stronghold of El Paso County, Democrats registered about 1,000 more voters than Republicans did.

Democrats said the surge can be attributed to the party's strong network, while Republicans said it is the result of an influx of outside groups targeting Democrats.

"It's just the massive number of people who are out there, working in the field and the number of offices we have," Waak said.

She said the organization started during record turnouts during the February caucus and continued through the national convention in Denver in August.

But Call said the Republican Party has seen a large number of outside groups descend on Colorado, explicitly to sign up people to vote for Barack Obama.

"I know that just may be a function of volume, but it also bespeaks the fact they are pushing a lot of these things through that may or may not be legitimate," Call said.

He said the party is confident local election officials will ferret out bad voter registrations.

Registration in Colorado's swing counties

County......Unafilliated......Republican......Democrat

* Arapahoe......105,648......112,317......112,642

* Adams......77,716......55,792......75,947

* Jefferson......121,328......126,350.......115,075

* Larimer......74,042......73,812......58,544

* Statewide 1,052,705.......1,049,520......1,010,532

Comments

  • October 6, 2008

    6:36 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    GlacierDragon writes:

    Ah, this probably explains why I, on the western slope and not registered with a major party, have received so many paper flyers touting Obama for president.
    They're huge, too, by the way. Could probably use a couple of them for homemade text book covers.
    (Whoever is sending these, please, please stop.)

  • October 7, 2008

    2:07 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    SteveM writes:

    The interesting fact is how independent Coloradoans remain in the registration process. This is bad for the GOP since independent voters tend to (a) dislike mudslinging and find it both offensive and debasing, (b) vote against incumbents, and (c) vote for more liberal candidates seeing them as more able to behave in a bi-partisan manner than neo-conservatives who all seem to believe that their mandate comes directly from God--and is, therefore, unable to be changed. All in all, this adds up to thousands of new voters for Obama.

  • October 7, 2008

    7:12 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    PriusGuy writes:

    The fact that Democrats are outpacing the Republicans in El Paso county of all places is really telling. Maybe, finally, finally, people are starting to wake up and see that we can't afford four more years of the same. People are starting to listen to reality and the facts, and not pay so much attention to Focus on the Family and so on.

    (But while we talk about family values... don't forget to count the number of divorces Obama and McCain have had... 0 and 1, respectively).

  • October 7, 2008

    10:03 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    T1anda writes:

    Vote Democrat if you want...Terrorism over Heroism!!

    Obama is one dangerously affiliated candidate! If it makes no difference to you as a patriotic American and Obama wins this election don't whine when he and Michelle(Cruella DeVille)and their very questionable associates run this country into the ground with their Marxist,socialistic plans for our future!!

    Wanna cry about Bush?? At least Bush isn't buddies and business associates with KNOWN terrorists! At least Bush doesn't have a hate whitey,anti-American wife! At least Bush's pastor isn't an American hating racist spewing verbal atrocities at the country he is supposed to loyal to!

    Obama is one scary, sneaky, dude!! He is now being investigated for accepting illegal European donations towards his campaign!!

    We are only seeing the tip of the very large iceberg when it comes to Obama and his shady past!!

    Oh, and google ACORN (currently under investigation for voter fraud in 21 states!) Obama is very heavily involved with this organization! He was their lawyer and still contributes money to ACORN!

    ACORN bullied banks to give high risk mortgage loans to unqualified people and when banks took on these high risk loans and wouldn't continue ACORN then, went to high powered Democrats and Washington to convince Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac to continue with these loser loans!! Don't believe me? Do the research!!! Obama is as bogus as a wooden nickle!! And twice as dangerous!!

  • October 7, 2008

    11:23 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    JonBen writes:

    T1Anda, you are such a liar that it's hard to know where to begin. You and the McCain-Palin campaign don't even care anymore whether you're lying, or even whether most people realize you're lying: you're just desperately trying to sway a few gullible voters with appeals to prejudice and base passions.

    You're doing everything possible to avoid talking about the economy, how McCain disfavors regulation of the stock market and corporations, how McCain wants more tax cuts for the very rich and squat for the rest of us, and how McCain is erratic and temperamentally unsuited to be president ("I'm suspending my campaign! No wait, I'm not! I'm not engaging in personal attacks! No wait, I am!")

    "We are only seeing the tip of the iceberg" is a pathetic smear - AND it sounds just like what Bush said about WMD's in Iraq: "Just trust us - there's bad stuff out there." Riiiiiight.... How stupid do you think we are?

    Obama has been investigated and researched and probed and tested more than any other candidate ever. He loves America. He is a good man, a CHRISTIAN (same denomination as me), married to the same wife forever - unlike that self-confessed serial adulterer McCain who abandoned his wife when she became crippled and ugly.

    Sorry, but you started the personal attacks!

  • October 7, 2008

    11:40 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    T1anda writes:

    Obama is what he is!!! No Mistake!! Neither candidate is really qualified to become President in 08! However, I am voting for McCain as he is the lesser of the two evils and not half as dangerous as Obama!!!!

  • October 7, 2008

    2:23 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    OldSailor writes:

    I reseived the "Notice Of Election" "Sample Ballot" yesterday and when I look under "Acceptable Forms of ID", I see that:
    A copy of a current utility bill
    A Telephone Bill
    A Cable bill
    are the only kind of ID that is necessary to vote. To me this sure takes away the value of being a citizen of the USA with the RIGHT to vote.....Hell anyone from any country can vote in Colorado.

  • October 7, 2008

    3:02 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    mikeb80602 writes:

    OldSailor, your registration was validated, so you're legal to vote.

  • October 7, 2008

    3:04 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Mayor_Quimby writes:

    McCain = 4 more years of Bush. Obama is 4 more years of Carter. I'll take the 4 more years of Bush any day. Obama is an unknown, scary candidate. This country cant afford crazy, anti-americans in the white house.