PHOENIX – Secretary of State Jan Brewer today released the General Election voter registration figures for the State of Arizona.
As of midnight, October 6, 2008, the deadline for registering to vote in the General Election, the statewide voter registration total had increased to 2,987,451, up 188,061 from the Primary Election.
There are 1,118,587 registered Republicans, an increase of 56,996, registered Democrats total 1,022,252 an increase of 64,357, registered Libertarians number 18,153 an increase of 875 registrations and Green Party registration is at 4,009, an increase of 542 since the Primary Election.
Arizonans registered as Independents or as members of unrecognized parties are grouped together in the “other” category on the voter registration figures. The voters in that group total 824,450 an increase of 65,291 since the September Primary Election.
“Clearly, interest in next month’s general election has been gaining momentum for many reasons,” stated Secretary Jan Brewer. “In this a Presidential Election year, we have close candidate races, many varied ballot propositions, and keen interest in other local races all adding to the state’s voter registration numbers. In addition, my office, the county recorders, the political parties, and the candidates themselves have all focused on voter outreach efforts in the last few months and apparently, these efforts have paid off.”
The Arizona Department of Economic Security reports the state’s voting age population to be 3,763,685 based on Census 2000 data. Using that figure, 79.8 percent of eligible Arizonans are registered to vote. According to the Federal Election Commission, the actual number of eligible voters, those that are legally entitled to vote, will always be less than the voting age population because of the inclusion of resident aliens (both legal and illegal), as well as convicted felons who have not yet had their voting rights restored under the various state laws, persons adjudicated incapacitated by a court of law, or those persons otherwise ineligible to vote.
“I think it’s critical for all voters to take the next step and get out and vote on Election Day, and of course they must remember to bring sufficient identification to the polling place on Election Day,” stated Secretary Brewer.
A copy of the voter registration figures by county is included with this press release. Copies are available at the Secretary of State office on the 7th Floor of the state capitol, or by calling the Election Services Division at 602-542-8683 or 1-877-THE VOTE (1-877-843-8683), or by visiting the Secretary of State’s Web site at www.azsos.gov.
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PHOENIX -- Secretary of State Jan Brewer announced today a record setting increase in the number of overall voter registrations turned into her office on the final day to register to vote. The Secretary of State's Office stayed open until midnight on Monday answering over 2,200 citizens' phone inquiries and collecting over 41,723 voter registration forms turned in directly at the office and via the Secretary of State's online EZ Voter registration system.
The cutoff for voter registration for the November 4 General Election was this past Monday, October 6, at midnight.
“My office has worked very hard over the past year to get more Arizonans registered to vote,” said Secretary Jan Brewer, “clearly our outreach efforts are making a difference, especially when it comes to Internet voter registration.”
Most of the new registrations came through the Sec. of State's EZVoter system. Arizona was the first of only two states currently in the country with such an online system that specifically allows citizens to register to vote over the Internet. This year's October 6 deadline for voter's to register for the General Election had a single-day record 38,872 people register through EZVoter system, breaking the previous single-day Internet registration record of 21,400 back in October of 2004. In addition to the online voter registration forms, another 2,851 registration forms were directly turned into the Secretary of State's office at the State Capitol.
"Obviously, there is a great amount of interest in this year's General Election, and it is just so important that citizens take the time to get involved in the election process,” added Secretary Brewer, “I am very proud that Arizona continues to lead the country with our EZ Voter system delivering a secure, convenient and efficient way for citizens to register and participate.”
The Secretary of State's EZ Voter system has shown a marked increase in voter registrations under the Brewer Administration. Upon taking office in January 2003, the EZ Voter registration system had processed 6,535 people to vote over an entire month. This past month of September ‘08, the same system registered 105,392 people, the largest one-month total for any primary or general election. Also of note, thus far in 2008, over 60 percent of all people who registered to vote in Arizona did so via the Secretary of State's EZ Voter online system.
"There is just so much riding on this upcoming election, and I really believe these strong voter registration numbers here in Arizona are a tribute to a citizenry that is highly motivated and energized to participate in this year's voting process," said Secretary of State Jan Brewer.
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