Democrats spar over registration as worries over young and minority voters grow

[brooklynite]

Source: Washington Post

A confidential memo circulated among top Democratic donors has sparked a furious debate in Democratic circles about whether to narrow the focus of voter registration efforts to avoid signing up likely Republicans.

For decades, nonpartisan groups allied with the Democratic Party have run wide-ranging efforts aimed at increasing voter registration among people of color and young people — groups that tend to lean Democratic but have historically voted at lower rates than older and White people.

In recent years, however, there has been a marked shift among the roughly 1 in 5 citizens of voting age who are unregistered toward Republicans, raising fresh questions about how much boosting nonpartisan voter registration could help presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump heading into November.

Aaron Strauss, an influential data scientist who helps direct progressive spending at the firm OpenLabs, sparked private disagreements over this issue in January, when he sent about a dozen major Democratic donors a confidential memo that challenged traditional nonpartisan registration.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/01/democrats-voter-registration-minorities/

[Deuxcents]

1. This sounds like what the republicans complain about..

Every citizen has the right to vote..register them and give them something to vote for. We’ve been told we have a big tent and elections are our best voice.

[Qutzupalotl]

2. "confidential"

Not anymore.

[Think. Again.]

3. Ooohhh...Gee Whiz....

....sounds like the Democrats are in disarray!

[brooklynite]

4. Is there something factually wrong in the story? Or are you just unhappy reading it?

[Think. Again.]

5. Do you believe those are the only two possibilities?

[Fiendish Thingy]

7. There is zero data in your excerpt to support any assertion

Do you have a non-paywalled link, or a link to the consultant’s original data?

[Fiendish Thingy]

6. Show me the data

Although your excerpt wasn’t clear, I reject the suggestion that young voters are moving towards republicans.

I have seen no evidence of a significant shift towards the Republican Party and away from Dems.

[IronLionZion]

8. 2020 had the highest voter turnout in a century

Democrats win when people vote. Every vote matters. So what if we register a few Republicans. Most of the newly registered voters will vote Dem if we listen to them and earn their vote. They know what's important to them. If their issues mostly align with ours, then we should be able to get them to vote D.

I reject the notion that registering voters would aid the GOP. That party wants fewer people to vote which is why they put up barriers wherever they can.

There is tremendous diversity among young people and minorities. A unifying issue can be economic opportunities: wages, benefits, healthcare, housing, education, etc. I bet a lot of them are pro-choice. The issues of criminal justice reform and immigration reform might be more divisive so that could be more targeted.

[Qutzupalotl]

9. Democracy works better if everybody who wants to vote does so.

If that means tighter margins or even a loss for us, so be it. More voters means more accurate representation.