VAST Right Wing (VRWC)

[AKvetch]

Looks like you are not alone in thinking that way.
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"Get out the vote" efforts key to many races
Sat Nov 4, 2006 8:24 AM ET
By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Next week's battle for control of Congress could turn on people like Karen Roper, who are working to get people off their sofas and out to the polls.

Roper and an army of other ordinary citizens are on the front lines of a final, frenetic push by both Republicans and Democrats to encourage their supporters to vote -- an effort that could mean the difference between victory and defeat in dozens of close races.

Republicans say they will need a strong turnout among conservatives to hold on to Congress in the face of widespread dissatisfaction with President George W. Bush and the war in Iraq.

It's a tall order, analysts and even some organizers said, despite the Republican Party's traditional advantage in fund-raising and getting out the vote.

Cincinnati physical therapist Linda Kopko, a registered Republican, said corruption scandals have also discouraged many party loyalists. "That's why the Republican turnout is going to be very low. I think they're very discouraged with what's going on," she said.

In Silver Spring, Maryland, Roper said she encountered a lot of enthusiasm at Democratic households she visited at the end of October. "They were angry at the Republicans, let's put it that way. If anything they were very psyched to vote Republicans out," the business consultant said.

With control of Congress at stake, both parties are spending millions of dollars on the efforts, which can increase a candidate's share of votes by as much as 9 percent.

"We've made a big investment in putting boots on the ground," said Montana Democratic Party executive director Jim Farrell.

Democrats have traditionally relied on labor unions and other independent advocacy groups to handle voter mobilization. But after stinging losses in 2002 and 2004, the Democratic National Committee created its own voter database and set up staff positions in all 50 states.

Polls show Democrats stand a good chance of picking up the 15 seats needed to win control of the House of Representatives, and could win the six seats necessary to control the Senate as well. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll this week found 47 percent of registered voters had been contacted by political parties or candidates; one in five had heard from both sides.

TURNOUT POWERFUL FACTOR

Get-out-the-vote efforts can play a disproportionate role in midterm races, which typically see lower voter participation than elections in which the presidency is at stake.

While 61 percent of eligible voters participated in the 2004 presidential election, only 40 percent voted in 2002, according to American University's Center for the Study of the American Electorate.

In Montana, Republicans hope to boost turnout by around 10 percent to help Sen. Conrad Burns retain his Senate seat, and Republicans in Michigan plan to campaign door-to-door in heavily Democratic Detroit for the first time since 1962.

In Missouri, Republicans have staged a massive rehearsal involving more than 1,000 volunteers to ensure their final weekend of door-knocking will go smoothly. They have already placed more than 1 million calls.

"We're trying to remind people to get out and vote," said Missouri Republican Party spokesman Paul Sloca.

But experts say a strong get-out-the-vote effort may not be enough.

"There's a lot blowing in the face of Republicans right now. While these ground efforts are going to be very key to help them minimize their losses, I don't see this as the silver bullet," said Michael McDonald, a political science professor at George Mason University in Virginia.

Democrats are likely to have greater success this year as their voters are motivated by an intense dislike for Bush, while Republicans have no comparable boogeyman, said Curtis Gans, director of the Center for the Study of the American Electorate.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2006-11-04T132352Z_01_N...