In Montgomery County on Friday, October 3, the line of prospective voters stretched snakelike inside the building, out the door, and down the sidewalk: black, white, Hispanic, old, young. Soldiers, students, young moms, older men. All ready to sign on the dotted line. Today, October 6, the last day to register to vote, some 80 people were in line at 2:30 in the afternoon, patiently waiting to register. At Montgomery County Democratic Party headquarters on Saturday, several dozen prospective voters registered, with another 15 coming through the door by noon Monday.
Given the appalling primary turnout (12%) in Montgomery County, this burst of energy and interest in the upcoming election is, to say the least, both refreshing and inspiring.
Political pundits are accustomed to voting records and voter histories to predict the course of any given election. It remains to be seen what this surge of “new blood” will bring to the politcal battlefield. What it does say is that initial interest sparked over the Iraq conflict and issues such as immigration has exploded into serious concern about the U.S. economy.
Hey, Washington. Pay attention. The people you represent are about to speak. Loudly. In greater numbers, it seems, than we have seen in decades.