Area residents coming out in droves to register to vote

Dave Thompson / Lynchburg News & Advance
Published: January 11, 2008

With Virginia's Republican and Democratic presidential primaries just a month away, area residents are registering to vote in large numbers.

The registration deadline for voters participating in the primaries is 5 p.m. Monday.

Lynchburg General Registrar Pat Bower said the large number of residents registering since Jan. 1 shows a higher-than-usual interest in this year's presidential contest.

"It certainly is (unusual) for this time of year," Bower said.

"We've put in at least 88 new voters and done about 37 address changes," she said, calling it "multiples" of the typical numbers for this time of year.

With no clear frontrunner after the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, Virginia's votes could become more significant.

Area counties also reported a surge in registration since the start of 2008.

Bedford County Registrar Barbara Gunter said her office has registered 129 new voters as of Thursday. Ninety-four previously registered voters either re-registered or changed their respective addresses.

Factoring into the inflated numbers are high school seniors, many of them not yet the legal voting age of 18.

But the primary rules allow for those who will reach the age of 18 by November's general election to vote.

Campbell County Registrar Karen Danos said area schools are encouraging those in that age group to be active

politically.

"Back in December, just before Christmas we did go out to all the high schools and register … between 300 and 500 high school students."

Campbell County has registered 450 new potential voters since Dec. 1.

"Most of the teachers in Campbell County … were proactive to getting those students registered," Danos said.

No registration numbers were available for Amherst County or Appomattox County.

Bower said Lynchburg students are also getting into the spirit of the primaries.

"They said there were several students from (E.C. Glass High School) that appeared in the DMV today," she said.

Bower said the enthusiasm could have something to do with the varying finishes in the Iowa and New Hampshire

primaries.

"It kind of all depends on the week before," said Bower, in reference to Super Tuesday where 23 states hold primaries and caucuses. If the nominations are still undetermined, Virginia will be a factor.