Question on voter registration and CT.

[rpannier]

This is what I've been reading:
There has been a large increase in registered Democrats. That's a fact I do not dispute. What doesn't make a lot of sense to me is the theory behind. That theory goes, Republicans, who are so thoroughly enamored with Joe have registered Dem to vote for him in the Dem Primary so they can vote for him in the general election (While Joe is running as the Democratic nominee).

Now, in almost all cases, people register in the other party to vote for the weaker general election candidate, thus strengthening their own party's chances of victory come the general election. Since Joe is going to run as a member of the "Lieberman Party" if he doesn't win the primary, why would the pukes feel the need to vote for him in the primary?

Any input, especially from people in CT would be appreciated.

[NewJeffCT]

1. Only new voters & independents can register Democrat

within 90 days of election. If a Republican wanted to vote Joe in the primary, they would have had to have switched to Democrat by early May. (or, if you were a registered Green Party or others as well)

Independents & new voters had until noon yesterday to register as a Democrat, however.

[rpannier]

3. Okay. Thank you much

That was the explanation I was looking for. The scenario where the pukes were registering as Democrats didn't make sense to me.

Thank you again.

[Atman]

2. Don't believe a word of it. They're just panicked.

Trying to come up with some way to rationalize their behavior.

[Dhalgren]

4. Or to come up with a rationale for how Lieberman "won"...

[Dhalgren]

5. It was on NPR last night. The report said that over the past

weeks there had been 100 times as many "switched" registrations as ever before. If that is true, why are they doing it?

[Atman]

6. 29,000 new democrats, 10,000 of them switched from Independant.

You had to switch from Republican way back in May, and Joe wasn't as imperiled as he is now. I don't know that that many republicans actually had the opportunity to make the switch after Joe's numbers tanked.

[Dhalgren]

7. Thanks. This is still a little unsettling. The Party wants more

members, but this kind of influx at this particular moment makes one wary...

[Atman]

8. There are many unknowns at stake

We've never had an August primary in CT. Remember, this is a very wealthy state, and many families here spend much of their summer on the Cape or Long Island Sound. Officials really don't know if anyone will really turn out to vote, because we have no benchmarks for August primaries. We also have two Democrats vying for the opportunity to get their asses kicked by Republican governor Jodi Rell. As crooked as John Rowland (she was his right-hand man -- er, woman -- for years), but with a heavy teflon coating. She enjoys an 80% approval rating. So, that race is also on the ballot, but will anyone care? Lots of interesting stuff going on.

[DODI]

9. Party Registration Surge - CT

From or secretary of state now on Channel 30:

Unaffiliated to Democrat 14,506

New registered to Dem: 14,380

Total registered Dems in CT 696,823.