As a result of massive registration efforts, nearly four million new voters have been added to the rolls in twelve key ‘battleground’ states. Correspondents report that if figures are any sort of an indication, Barack Obama’s campaign is “poised to benefit” in the presidential election from significant voter registration gains, particularly from the wave of first time voters. 

In fact, voter rolls have expanded dramatically in 11 states the Obama campaign targeted - those that were won by Republican President George Bush in 2004 - including Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Nevada, New Mexico and Virginia. Even in Pennsylvania - a state targeted by Republican John McCain, won by Democratic John Kerry in 2004 – registration is up.  

In Florida, Democratic voter registration gains are more than double those made by Republicans, and in the Republican stronghold, North Carolina, the ratio has been 6 to 1 new voters registering as Democrats.

Virginia, a state that traditionally leans Republican, has non-partisan registration. But most of the newly-registered votes live in neighborhoods in the northern part of the state - Washington, D.C. suburbs that lean toward the Democrats.

Wesley Weidemann, the founder of the non-partisan citizens’ group ‘Virginia Votes’, says this year the enthusiasm of people wanting to register to vote has dwarfed anything he has seen. He said: “The voter rolls in Virginia are going to be up approximately 400,000 to 420,000 additional voters. And then if you take all of the first time voters, it is going to be over a half a million.”

There have been mixed responses to the question as to whether the increased number of new registrants will actually find their way to the polls on November 4. While some people are apprehensive, others opine that the turnout this year for young people and previously disaffected voters is going to be “stunning.”

In addition, there are allegations galore too, as the presidential Election Day draws closer. Some Republican supporters allege that the registration drive is targeting ‘illegals and other never-do-wells’. However, the Democratic-inclined allege that Republicans will find ways to make it difficult for new registrants to cast their ballots or have them counted correctly.