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New figures show shift in Nebraska's voter registration

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By NATE JENKINS / The Associated Press

Thursday, May 08, 2008 - 04:13:47 pm CDT

The number of registered Democrats in the state has risen sharply this year heading into Tuesday’s primary election, giving party leaders hope they may be loosening the stronghold Republicans have had for years.

The number of Nebraska registered Democrats has increased by nearly 14,000 since the beginning of the year, according to figures from Secretary of State John Gale’s office. Meanwhile, the number of registered Republicans decreased by nearly 5,000 during the same period.

“It’s part of both a national trend and work we’ve done here in Nebraska,” including the state Democrats’ first-ever presidential caucuses held in February, said Matt Connealy, executive director of the state party.

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“With their numbers down by 5,000 and us up by 14,000 ... we’re getting new voters we haven’t had before, but we’re also seeing people who have realigned” and departed the Republican Party.

Republican officials brushed off the increase in registered Democrats since the first of the year as a blip caused more by an election-year oddity than any political shift in the state. Some Democrats switched to the Republican Party in 2006 so they could vote in the hotly contested primary election for the GOP nominee in the governor’s race.

Gov. Dave Heineman pulled one of the biggest upsets in Nebraska political history when he beat former Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne, a U.S. representative at the time.

“Democrats left to be in the Republican Party so they could vote in the primary and didn’t have the need to switch until now,” said Matt Miltenberger, executive director of the state Republican Party. “I don’t think we’re seeing any philosophical change among Nebraskans. The margin is still very large in the state.”

There remain roughly 178,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats in the state.

The total number of Democrats still lags behind what there was in every statewide, general election year so far this decade, with the exception of 2006.

But Democrats could draw nearer because more people could still register as such before the November election.

Overall, registration in the state so far this has increased nearly 7,300, to just more than 1.1 million registered voters. Republicans account for about 49 percent, Democrats about 33 percent, and independents about 17 percent.

Gale doesn’t expect voter turnout will match the uptick in voter registration.

He said Thursday he expects just 27 percent of registered voters will go to the polls.

Among his reasons for a low forecast:

— People’s votes for their presidential choices won’t have much practical effect, because Sen. John McCain has the Republican nomination wrapped up, and Nebraska Democrats made their presidential picks at February caucuses.

— There are few high-profile races throughout the state.

— There is a limited number of county offices on the ballots.

Turnout in recent primary elections has been up and down. The 2006 primary election drew 35 percent of registered voters, compared with 21 percent for 2004.


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MarkyMark wrote on May 8, 2008 9:40 am:
" At least the Democratic primary did get people out this year, despite all the confusion of an early caucus, which by the way is how the cavemen voted. "

 Jane wrote on May 8, 2008 10:16 am:
" Glad to see someone else agrees that the caucus was a giant step backward. Are we even voting for presidental candidates on Tuesday, May 13? Do they not campaign in our state? Oh yeah, 49% GOP - guess no one bothers to try and have their vote count. Rock on McCain ... "

 Even if your wrote on May 8, 2008 10:24 am:
" a Democrat and your presidentail primary vote isn't being taken, it's still important to vote on May 13th. A lot of important issues, like Amendment 1 (vote yes), are on the ballot. "

 Cavemen voted wrote on May 8, 2008 10:24 am:
" I enjoyed the caucus because it gave a chance for people that are not very educated about the issues to learn more about them BEFORE casting their vote. Unfortunately, not everybody votes intelligently (knowing the issues and where the candidates stand on them). I also think it is good to have conversations about the elections--perhaps it can open a few minds up. I guess I didn't mind being a caveman this year. I appreciated the dialogue that caucusing brings. I think it makes people think about things more and perhaps change their mind by learning things they were previously unaware of. Today's society doesn't do enough of that in my opinion. "

 CHAOS wrote on May 8, 2008 10:27 am:
" Operation Chaos strikes again... "

 cg wrote on May 8, 2008 10:30 am:
" Wow what short memories we have these days! We had the caucus for exactly that reason - to get the candidates here! Barack Obama held an enormous rally in Omaha, his wife Michelle came here to Lincoln and spoke at the Lied Center. Hillary sent daughter Chelsea to UNL (complete with a stop at The Coffee House) and also to Kearney, I believe. Had we not held the early caucus we would not have gotten this attention from the candidates. Maybe the caucus system isn't perfect but I myself really appreciated the opportunity to hear these speakers in person.

As far as higher registration, I hope it's for two-fold reasons: (1) being that people have a candidate or candidates that they are excited about and believe in, policies that are in line with their own beliefs; and (2) that after years and years of being schmoozed by the GOP the working class have finally realized that the promises and policies of the GOP don't actually help the working class. It's taken some people awhile to wake up to this but it is finally starting to happen. There may be hope for us all yet! "

 Nina wrote on May 8, 2008 10:41 am:
" I welcome the new voters, but am sad that it took a desperate situation to get them to start giving input. Hopefully, no matter what the circumstances, these new voters will continue to vote each election, because it is a privilege others in other countries would cherish dearly. It's time to go forward, now, not only being progressive in getting the US back on track, but making up for lost time. "

 E Jr wrote on May 8, 2008 10:44 am:
" I moved to Lincoln in 1985 from a heavily Republican area. I didn't think it would be much different but the typical Nebraska Republican is pretty extreme, unlike much of the rest of the country. I know they wear that as a badge of pride, but they are out of touch with their peers in other parts of the country. Therefore, even in conservative Nebraska it is not surprising to see that people are switching to the Democratic party. "

 Cavemen Shmavemen wrote on May 8, 2008 10:51 am:
" The Republican presidential primary next week has just as much importance as the Democratic primary on the same day, and it ain't just because McCain has clinched the nomination. The Republican primary is just a beauty contest. Every single one of Nebraska's Republican delegates are picked by the state and county Republican officials. The voters don't get a say. Even if Romney and McCain were still going at it, they wouldn't campaign here because the vote is meaningless. Caucuses may be how cavemen vote, but at least it is better than not voting at all. "

 opps wrote on May 8, 2008 10:57 am:
" Oboma and Hillery are on the ballot. Wonder what will happen if Hillery gets more votes this time around. There are other issues on the ballot so vote. "

 tim wrote on May 8, 2008 11:07 am:
" that all the proof i need to agree the state is experiencing brain drain. "

 Sam wrote on May 8, 2008 11:08 am:
" First of all, I'm a registered Republican - I have to be in our county because of the party-makeup. However, the R behind that means absolutely NOTHING to me. Just because I'm registered that way doesn't make me a bible-pumping, bigoted white male, just like being a registered democrat makes you a tree-hugging, hippie-loving liberal. I almost explode when I hear people say "Vote Republican" or "Vote Democrat". That line shows true ignorance. Its about the candidate, no matter which party they belong to. I'll vote for the best person irregardless of party. I firmly believe that is the intelligent thing to do. Our party system is fatally flawed (nationally and locally) so when you vote on Tuesday (and you will vote, right?) vote for the best PERSON, not the party. "

 Huskergal wrote on May 8, 2008 11:49 am:
" Way to go SAM -

I couldn't have said it any better. Voting is your participation in a democratic government and it is your way of voicing your opinion. The labels "republican" and "democratic" have nearly become a statement of the extremes of both parties. I have NEVER and will NEVER vote a straight party - I have ALWAYS voted for the individual man or woman. It is long overdue that the American electorate sit up and get educated on the issues. When they do - they will discover that there is more that unites us than divides us. Please vote on Tuesday!! "

 partyvoter wrote on May 8, 2008 12:05 pm:
" national and state levels vote a straight party ticket because ITS POLITICS. when they get into office they will vote with their party 90% of the time. ben nelson might be the only exception, but when it comes down to it the party pressures them to 'tow the line', any other thought is simply ignorant. local levels dont see the same pressure from the parties so vote the best MAN. "

 Caucuses wrote on May 8, 2008 12:16 pm:
" Caucuses are great! At them you can see who is voting for whom. At them you can identify people that switch parties just to get someone of the other party on the ballot because they think they're unelectable in the general election. Those people do not want to be identified.

It won't matter if Clinton does win next week because the democratic party has decided that the caucus decided their nominee. "

 Rock on Sam wrote on May 8, 2008 12:20 pm:
" Sam you have just said the ONLY intelligent thing concerning politics I have heard in a long time. I'm a newly registered democrat, and although I lean that way, the party system means nothing to me. Vote for the best candidate based on that candidate and what they can do for the country. D and R are there for people who don't pay attention to the issues and probably shouldn't vote anyway. "

 ... wrote on May 8, 2008 12:34 pm:
" This is the stuff that keeps Lee Terry up at night. "

 Correction Sam wrote on May 8, 2008 12:47 pm:
" That is good advice Sam, with the exception that on Tuesday's primary, we vote only in our own party. Keep that thought in mind for November. "

 Why bother wrote on May 8, 2008 12:52 pm:
" The democratic candidate was decided by the few at the caucus. There were a lot of people who couldn't go due to time and location. People in western Nebraska would have been forced to drive 2 hrs to get to some of the caucus places and I still say Branched Oak Inn isn't wheelchair accessible unless there's a back door down a graveled alley somewhere. Thanks but this primary doesn't hold much weight this year. "

 Oh please wrote on May 8, 2008 12:59 pm:
" Operation Chaos, right. These numbers were going up long before Rush announced his plan to make a mockery out of our political system, a system for which people have fought and died. I think most Nebraskans are not sheep and therefore are not willing to blindly follow a gimmicky DJ down the slippery slope of making a mockery out of American democracy. Frankly, we have more respect for our country than that. Operation Chaos is just another tool currently giving Republicans a bad name; any self-respecting GOP-er won't fall for it. "

 Sam wrote on May 8, 2008 2:24 pm:
" Should have been more clear. I was talking about November's election. Our primary here is a joke. Only two contested elections (senate and house of reps) so no real need for this primary here. "

 Pete wrote on May 8, 2008 2:54 pm:
" "Oh Please", are you saying that all the Democrats who switched registration to help defeat Dr. Tom in the gubernatorial primary a couple of years ago are not self-respecting? "

 Suspicious wrote on May 8, 2008 3:17 pm:
" I'm not sure if this is a positive for the Democratic Party in NE. It could be that many of the new voters switched from the Republican Party to keep the Democratic blood bath between Obama and Clinton going. Like one poster already stated; "Operation Chaos strikes again." "

 Mindless Robot wrote on May 8, 2008 3:19 pm:
" Hate to tell you this, "CHAOS" but I would suspect that the voter shift is due to voting in the caucus...which was well before, "Operation Chaos" and Obama won with 68% of the vote. Limbaugh also seems to be changing the rules of his own, "Operation" to fit the actual results of the election. This tells me it ain't working, as in the case of the Pa election where many more Republicans switched to vote for Obama than Clinton. But once again, leave it to Limbaugh to keep changing the rules to give the appearance that he is making some kind of difference. He isn't. In fact, don't be too surprised when it backfires much like his comments about Michael J. Fox backfired and sent Claire McCaskill to the Senate. If all you have left is attempts to subvert and hi-jack the Democratic process, then you have very little indeed. "

 JR wrote on May 8, 2008 5:14 pm:
" Operation Chaos??? What a joke. That is like someone saying let's all get together and tell people it will get warmer as summer approaches. Then when it does, we can take credit for fooling all the mases.Some Republicans are really in a tither as they are hoping for a Hillary win, as they feel they can rally their troops against the Evil Clinton Empire. Where as with Obama, they are concerned they may have met their match with a teflon candidate. Too bad you never hear about the good things McCain might do ... just the bad things the others would do. THAT is the really telling part. "

 Dano wrote on May 9, 2008 9:17 am:
" I wonder how many voters in the state are registered as Independents? Where are the stats on that LJS? Would have been nice to see if those numbers have increased or decreased.

Why even allign yourself with a party? Neither of them are in touch with the public in general, and neither probably support every one of your ideas on how government should be run anyways. When it all comes down to elections day, you are really picking between one of the lesser two evils if you are voting and not worrying abou the party lines. Party lines are for sheep. You should vote your mind and heart, not what someone tells you.

Neither candidate cares about you or I, of course they say they do, but Washington and that mess have long forgotten about what this country is about. The little guy like you and I, are only important in elections years. And we just continue to let it go on and on, while they make themselves all richer at our expense. "

 JB wrote on May 9, 2008 9:21 am:
" Who was the last Democrat to win Nebraska? LBJ! Nebraska will vote for any Republican even if he is a loser! Hope the state is getting smarter. "

 nemo wrote on May 9, 2008 9:42 am:
" Hilarious!! Operation Chaos, folks, is a joke!! The democratic party doesn't really need republicans to switch parties to create chaos, they are doing a fine job on their own. I rarely listen to Rush and know that. This is one registered independent that refuses to be officially aligned with either of this country's hackneyed political parties. They are all politicians that are in it for themselves, neither Clinton nor Obama could care any less about any of you, face it. I'm not sure about McCain yet, we'll see. It will come down to the lesser of 2 evils, i guarantee it. That's politics. "

 caucus peer pressure wrote on May 9, 2008 3:53 pm:
" The caucus process amounted to peer pressure. I prefer the privacy of a voting booth, to vote one's conscience rather than to go along with the popular crowd. We need to eliminate the electoral college and get to one person, one vote. "

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