CHICAGO — As the Democratic National Convention reaches its midpoint here, party architects and advocacy groups across the country are implementing an aggressive voter registration push that’s not only supposed to help Vice President Kamala Harris win the White House through increased turnout, but also create a mandate for the future expansion of voting rights.
Those involved with the ambitious endeavor claim it will be the largest voter mobilization program the Democratic Party has ever seen.
The speeches and events in the Windy City this week have been accompanied by a quiet buzz about the effort — and the subtle shift in registration trends in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, two important presidential swing states.
While these two states have seen more GOP voters than Democrats register since January, the act of Harris replacing President Joe Biden atop the ticket prompted an erosion of those margins.
In the immediate aftermath of Harris’ ascent on the ticket, Kansas Democratic Party chair Jeanna Repass reported increased enthusiasm compared to Biden’s reelection campaign. She said Kansas Democrats had increased fundraising and requests to volunteer in the election process.
“It makes me excited and hopeful,” Repass said in July.
In North Carolina, Dem registrations outpaced Republican sign-ups during the week following Biden’s endorsement of Harris. The same week also gave way to Pennsylvania’s biggest seven-day boost of Democratic voters for this calendar year.
Elsewhere, in less competitive states, there are similar signs of progress for Democrats. In Maine, for example, nearly 4,000 new voters registered last month in the wake of Biden’s decision to step aside. While Maine doesn’t track voters by party, Harris supporters were quick to take credit.
Between Convention speeches and during cocktails hours, true believers making their way around Chicago say it’s all just the beginning as Election Day (Nov. 5) draws closer.
“We have already deployed $66 million to support voter outreach in the seven key states that will decide the election,” said Daria Dawson, the executive director of America Votes.
Those all-important states include Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. America Votes is tackling these states with a few hundred well-heeled partners, from American Bridge and the AFL-CIO to the American Federation of Teachers and the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.
“Our partners have knocked on over 8 million doors this year, and we are just getting started,” Dawson added. “We have a plan to knock at least 33 million doors across seven key battleground states — our largest ever voter mobilization program.”
Activists aren’t just knocking on any old doors. There’s a focus on young, first-time voters and communities of color.
While politicos like to point out these electorates don’t always vote at high levels, a study conducted by Tufts Tisch College found that half of all registered voters age 18-29 voted in the last presidential cycle in 2020, up from just 11 percent in 2016.
The study serves as a reminder that registering voters is the easy part. Making sure they vote and stay informed and engaged is the real trick.
“Since 2016, we have seen record-breaking turnout in almost every election, driven primarily by young people, women and voters of color,” Dawson said. “Our ‘Spread Out the Vote’ strategy that focuses on educating voters about new opportunities to vote by mail or vote early that have become available since the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially effective in getting low-propensity voters engaged.”
Dawson and her team will get a bit of help on the communications piece from the Harris campaign, which announced over the weekend it will spend $370 million on advertisements beginning Labor Day — targeting the same states as America Votes.
Quentin Fulks, Harris’ deputy campaign manager, and Rob Flaherty, the campaign’s digital director, said the ad strategy is designed to “break through a fragmented media environment and reach the voters who will decide this election.”
Democrats hope the combined effort will not only put Harris in the White House, but help partners win down-ballot races in states like Georgia and North Carolina.
Then there’s the question of what comes after the election, especially one where new voters may play an outsized role.
According to Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, Harris could have an opportunity to leverage this voter mobilization program and any mandate it delivers to become a pro-voting rights president.
“Vice President Harris has promised to address long-standing challenges and enhance access to the ballot for all eligible voters,” Lakin said. “If she is elected, we will use every tool at our disposal, including litigation, to hold her to these commitments and protect and advance voting rights and fair representation at every level of government.”
To get to that point, all Democrats have to do is win, and more than a few in Chicago this week believe they have the edge.
“The ground game is our greatest advantage,” Dawson said, adding, “Direct voter engagement is the tried-and-true formula that has worked in election after election.
