Voter Registration Rising in Rochester
By: Mark Gruba
Updated: August 23, 2012
The deadline to register for the November general election is fast approaching and interest is growing.
Voter registration numbers tend to spike during Presidential election years. Back in 2008, Monroe County set an all-time record with 442,000 registered voters. Three years later by 2011, that number dipped to 423,000. Now it's at 431,000 at rising.
The Rochester Voter Alliance is doing its part to help get out the vote. Volunteers have been setting up tables at various sites around the city all summer, encouraging people to register. The Alliance focuses its efforts on areas that historically have lower voter turnout. "We aren't registering voters in suburbia, or on college campuses, our target area is the city," said Sally Chamberlin of the Rochester Voter Alliance.
The Alliance, which draws support from numerous community organizations, is non-partisan. Chamberlin said the goal is simple, to register as many people as possible. "More and more people are registering to vote," she said analyzing the last couple of weeks. "We have probably registered as many people in August as we did in June and July together, and we're only partway through August."
Historically, in Presidential election years, the number of voters registering soars after the party conventions. Republicans are set to go next week beginning August 27th. The Democratic Convention will be the following week, wrapping up September 6th.
The deadline for eligible residents to register for the November election is October 12th.
Voter registration numbers tend to spike during Presidential election years. Back in 2008, Monroe County set an all-time record with 442,000 registered voters. Three years later by 2011, that number dipped to 423,000. Now it's at 431,000 at rising.
The Rochester Voter Alliance is doing its part to help get out the vote. Volunteers have been setting up tables at various sites around the city all summer, encouraging people to register. The Alliance focuses its efforts on areas that historically have lower voter turnout. "We aren't registering voters in suburbia, or on college campuses, our target area is the city," said Sally Chamberlin of the Rochester Voter Alliance.
The Alliance, which draws support from numerous community organizations, is non-partisan. Chamberlin said the goal is simple, to register as many people as possible. "More and more people are registering to vote," she said analyzing the last couple of weeks. "We have probably registered as many people in August as we did in June and July together, and we're only partway through August."
Historically, in Presidential election years, the number of voters registering soars after the party conventions. Republicans are set to go next week beginning August 27th. The Democratic Convention will be the following week, wrapping up September 6th.
The deadline for eligible residents to register for the November election is October 12th.
