As registration deadline nears, hints of voter boom coming true

BENTON - Wednesday is the last day to register to vote in the Nov. 2 presidential election and new voters in Southeast Missouri are keeping local clerks busy.

Scott County Clerk Rita Milam said there are a number of first time voters getting in their applications to her office while others are inquiring to be sure their names are on the voter rolls . "There is a lot of action going on," added Milam.

Milam attributed the increased interest in voting to the national publicity campaigns urging citizens to register.

In New Madrid County, those registering to vote are keeping things busy in the county clerk's office as well. Deputy Clerk Vera Strickland noted the office has received a lot of cards registering voters and noted many of the city clerks in the county have also been registering voters.

"We are piled up around here," she exclaimed. "We have been getting them from every place."

A spokesman with the Mississippi County Clerk's office said the number of people registering in the office has been steady.

While Wednesday is the final day to register, the Scott County Clerk added voters should still check to ensure the information on their voter registration card is correct. Those who have moved within the county into a new precinct can still make changes to their registration after Wednesday.

"would urge everyone to double check to make sure they are registered and we have them on right address," said Milam. "It will save time on election day."

Across the United States, many officials reported record numbers of new voters, some said they were overwhelmed, and allegations were already flying about fraud and the disqualification of some voters' applications.

''They're coming in, in buckets,'' said Pamela Swafford, deputy director of Ohio's Hamilton County board of elections. By Monday morning, the county that includes Cincinnati had 64,045 new voter registrations on hand, more than twice the 29,178 it received four years ago.