Voter registration on the rise

By Davy James, Staff Writer
   Local Democratic and Republican party officials say the high stakes in the upcoming presidential election and concerns over the state of the economy are driving an increase in voter registration.
   Local clerks said it was too soon to determine which parties were seeing more of an increase, due to the volume of voters still registering daily. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 14.
   Cranbury reported 2,694 registered voters as of Tuesday, up from 2,519 registered voters for the November 2007 general election. In Monroe, 28,468 people were registered to vote as of Tuesday, up from 26,769 in the 2007 general election. In Jamesburg, 2,964 people were registered, as of Tuesday, up from 2,862 for the 2007 general election.
   Cranbury party officials pointed to major issues on the minds of potential voters as sparking the increase in registration.
   ”I’d like to think more people are registering so they can vote for me,” said Cranbury Republican Chairman Win Cody, who is running for Township Committee against Democrat John Ritter this year. “But obviously, the main reason is concern about what’s going on internationally and because of concerns with the economy. People want to have their say and there are some big issues right now that have people much more aware of what’s going on.”
   Cranbury Democratic Chairman Glenn Johnson said the historic nature of this election was also a major factor.
   ”This is one of the more exciting elections in recent memory because you have no incumbent with two challengers vying for the presidency,” Mr. Johnson said. “In terms of issues, I think interest has shifted from the war in Iraq, which was foremost in people’s minds at the beginning of the year, to the economy, which is far and away the major issue right now.”
   Monroe party leaders said the increase is an exciting development as more citizens are realizing the potential ramifications from this year’s election.
   ”I think people are realizing whomever takes the reins in this year’s election is going to determine the outcome of a lot of people’s futures,” said Monroe Republican Chairman Tom Nothstein. “If you go back six months ago, one of the things driving voters was the war and nobody is mentioning the war right now. It’s the economy that has people concerned. There’s a vast difference between Democrats and Republicans on the economy right now and people are looking to see who’s best suited to handle the crisis.”
   Mr. Nothstein said the makeup of Monroe’s population is also a contributing factor in voter interest.
   ”If you look at Monroe’s population, 51 percent are senior citizens and probably upwards of 40 percent are retired,” Mr. Nothstein said. “Retirement savings are taking a hit and a lot of people have less income every month. We’ve lost 2 trillion dollars in retirement funds and that’s a great motivator for people who’ve never voted before to come out and register.”
   Monroe Mayor Richard Pucci, the Democratic Party chairman, said that on the Democratic side the interest from the primary race between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton was a major factor in the voter registration increase.
   ”We saw registration peaking after the primary from a Democratic standpoint,” Mayor Pucci said. “After reviewing the last eight years, people see this as an opportunity to take over the presidency.”
   Mayor Pucci said he expects the race to produce record high voter turnout, especially among younger voters.
   ”Speaking as mayor and party chairperson, I’ve never seen anything close to this level of interest in a national election,” Mayor Pucci said. “I think we’re looking at a voter turnout of 75 to 80 percent. Combine that with the element of younger voters and I think we’re going to set records for voter turnout not only locally, but nationwide.”
   Jamesburg Republican Chairman Gregg Newton said there are some local issues that have driven registration increases in the borough, in addition to the presidential election.
   ”I would hope people get interested anytime there’s a presidential election,” Mr. Newton said. “Plus the issue of whether to keep the Jamesburg Library open is also on the ballot and I think a few people interested in that issue registered for that purpose.”
   Jamesburg Democratic chairman Bernie Long pointed to voters’ frustration with conditions around the nation.
   ”People are not happy with the way things are going in this country right now,” Mr. Long said. “There’s big frustration with the economy right now and young people are starting to realize if they vote then they have a say in their own future. I’ve always said people who don’t vote lose their right to complain.”