Pa. voter registration swells Democrats' ranks

updated 1:20 p.m. ET March 20, 2008

WAYNE, Pa. - Pennsylvanians are rushing in record numbers to sign up as Democrats so they can vote in the April 22 presidential primary between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Many are lured by the historic drama of two U.S. senators vying to be the first black or female president. But the two campaigns also are busily recruiting independents, disgruntled Republicans and those who weren't previously registered at all.

Obama's effort has generated the most fanfare as his campaign has laid down a steady drumbeat of radio ads and e-mails leading up to the deadline for switching or joining parties.

"For real change, register as a Democrat by Monday, March 24," advise Obama ads airing throughout the state.

Only registered Democrats can vote for their party's candidates in the state's April 22 primary, and Obama is hoping the recruits will help him overcome Clinton's solid lead — 12 points in one poll taken last weekend. At stake are 158 delegates to this summer's Democratic national convention — the biggest bloc of delegates still to be awarded. Only registered Republicans can vote in the GOP primary.

Since last fall's election, statewide Democratic enrollment has swelled by more than 111,000 — an increase of about 3 percent in less than six months that state elections Commissioner Harry VanSickle said is apparently unprecedented. With days to go, Democratic registration is barely 5,000 votes shy of a record 4 million.

"The volume is very large, very steady," said Jim Forsythe, director of voter services in Chester County, a Philadelphia suburb where Democratic enrollment grew by nearly 7 percent — the second-largest gain among the 67 counties.

The smaller statewide enrollments of Republicans and voters not registered in either party have both declined slightly.

Neither the Obama nor Clinton campaigns will offer a public estimate of how much they contributed to the increased registration, and certainly other factors are at work.

But hundreds of Obama volunteers have stepped up their voter registration efforts in recent weeks on the streets, on college campuses and in nightly telephone canvassing among the nearly 1 million registered independent voters. In earlier Democratic primaries where independents could vote, Obama has outpolled Clinton, 54 percent to 40 percent, according to exit polls.

The Clinton campaign has also mounted a major registration effort in Pennsylvania, the first time in the primary season it has done so. While the former first lady has drawn most of her support in other states from traditional Democratic "base" voters, her aides believe she is positioned strongly enough in Pennsylvania to draw a significant number of independents, especially independent women.

The Clinton campaign is using extensive phone banks to identify likely switchers, targeting voters "who fit the profile'" of the New York senator's supporters and sending them registration applications upon request, said campaign spokesman Mark Nevins.

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