Dems, GOP Battle Over New Voters

Issue becomes focus as huge turnout expected
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 12, 2008 8:47 AM CDT
Dems, GOP Battle Over New Voters
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean speaks during a voter registration event in Raleigh, N.C., Friday, July 25, 2008.    (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Voter registration has become a hot-button election issue in a year that’s seen millions of new voters, the Wall Street Journal reports. In line with party trends, Democrats are working to register as many people as possible and deploying vote-protection legal experts, while Republicans keep a wary eye on potential voter fraud, scanning thousands of new voters’ documents.

Analysts disagree over the extent of potential problems. “We don't have a real history in the last 10 to 15 years of large-scale voter fraud," said a get-out-the-vote operative. The problem is “getting everyone on the rolls and making sure their votes are counted." But "state systems have shown signs of stress, and there's a serious concern that they won't be able to handle the number of voters," countered another analyst. (More voter registration stories.)

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