Spring Break
Editorial: RI gets 'registration fever'
Issue date: 10/22/08 Section: Editorial/Opinion
10/22/08 - Congratulations, Rhode Island. For the first time, this state's voter registration rolls have surpassed the 85 percent mark. This could mean a record turnout at the polls.
According to the state, democratic rosters increased by 11 percent, with republican rosters trailing far behind with an increase of 0.5 percent - no surprise in a mostly democratic state.
But perhaps the most interesting news thus far concerns what was once a large bulk of voters in Rhode Island: the independents.
Since the presidential primaries in March, the number of unaffiliated voters took a hit, dropping by about 28,000, or 8 percent, according to The Providence Journal.
But despite this "registration fever," history tells a different story when it comes down to the final ballots. Because when it comes to Election Day, things just tend to, well, come up.
You realize you don't actually know WHERE to vote, even though you've been registered for three years.
Your car breaks down.
There's a glitch at the polls and you'd rather go back home and watch the latest episode of House than wait an extra two hours at the Town Hall to cast a ballot.
Or, and this happens more often than not, you become the "disheartened Republican voter."
In a largely democratic state, it's easy to feel like your vote doesn't count. But it does - now more than ever.
Polls are showing that Barack Obama is surging to the head of the class, but surveys aren't always the most reliable sources. When you see a poll on TV or in a newspaper, all you see are the results. You don't always see the questions they ask, or the way in which they ask them. You also don't see the sample size.
When Jesse Jackson ran for president for a second time in 1988, the polls were looking in his favor. But the ballots did not swing his way, and the same thing could happen again.
There's also such thing as the apathetic democrat - those who think that since Rhode Island is known to be a democratic state, other people will essentially do the voting for them if they decide they're too lazy to make it to the ballot machine.
This is just as bad, if not worse. We are propelling through the one of the most controversial presidential election this country's ever seen, and there's no telling what the outcome will be.
It's speculated that part of the surge in voting registration came from the 18 to 24 group. Voting drives and mock elections haven't been strangers to local college campuses, and URI is no exception. With so many diverse opinions on this campus alone, it's essential to realize that your vote does make a difference in the grand scheme of things.
If you're a Rhode Islander and you don't know where to vote or you want to check your voter registration information, you can go to the Secretary of State's Voter Information Center online at http://www.sec.state.ri.us/vic/.
According to the state, democratic rosters increased by 11 percent, with republican rosters trailing far behind with an increase of 0.5 percent - no surprise in a mostly democratic state.
But perhaps the most interesting news thus far concerns what was once a large bulk of voters in Rhode Island: the independents.
Since the presidential primaries in March, the number of unaffiliated voters took a hit, dropping by about 28,000, or 8 percent, according to The Providence Journal.
But despite this "registration fever," history tells a different story when it comes down to the final ballots. Because when it comes to Election Day, things just tend to, well, come up.
You realize you don't actually know WHERE to vote, even though you've been registered for three years.
Your car breaks down.
There's a glitch at the polls and you'd rather go back home and watch the latest episode of House than wait an extra two hours at the Town Hall to cast a ballot.
Or, and this happens more often than not, you become the "disheartened Republican voter."
In a largely democratic state, it's easy to feel like your vote doesn't count. But it does - now more than ever.
Polls are showing that Barack Obama is surging to the head of the class, but surveys aren't always the most reliable sources. When you see a poll on TV or in a newspaper, all you see are the results. You don't always see the questions they ask, or the way in which they ask them. You also don't see the sample size.
When Jesse Jackson ran for president for a second time in 1988, the polls were looking in his favor. But the ballots did not swing his way, and the same thing could happen again.
There's also such thing as the apathetic democrat - those who think that since Rhode Island is known to be a democratic state, other people will essentially do the voting for them if they decide they're too lazy to make it to the ballot machine.
This is just as bad, if not worse. We are propelling through the one of the most controversial presidential election this country's ever seen, and there's no telling what the outcome will be.
It's speculated that part of the surge in voting registration came from the 18 to 24 group. Voting drives and mock elections haven't been strangers to local college campuses, and URI is no exception. With so many diverse opinions on this campus alone, it's essential to realize that your vote does make a difference in the grand scheme of things.
If you're a Rhode Islander and you don't know where to vote or you want to check your voter registration information, you can go to the Secretary of State's Voter Information Center online at http://www.sec.state.ri.us/vic/.
