Some Notes On Pennsylvania

Today is the last day to register to vote in Pennsylvania for those who wish to cast a ballot in the PA primary on April 22.  We are now four weeks from the big day...

PA is different than Texas, in that to vote in the Democratic primary, you must be a registered Democrat.

And what's interesting, is that that since last fall, registered Democrats in PA have grown by more than 111,000. 

So you can imagine voter turnout there will be high.

According to the November 2007 numbers from the PA Secretary of State's Office, there are more than 8.1 million registered voters there.  Democrats near 4 million.  Republicans are at 3.2 million.  Other parties are just under 1 million.

Pennsylvania may lean Democrat, but a new study released by Rasmussen Reports, indicates that PA is one of 12 key states that will decide the general election in November.  They are considered either toss-ups or only slight leans one way or the other  Here's the full report.

PA voters tend to turnout too.

For the presidential election in 2004, more than 68% of registered voters cast ballots.  And that was the third lowest turnout since 1960.

As for issues, Rasmussen found:

Forty-one percent (41%) of Pennsylvania voters say the economy is the top voting issue for Election 2008. Among these voters, Clinton is favored by nine points over McCain, Obama by twelve.

But, 62% of Pennsylvania voters believe that American society is generally fair and decent. Among these voters, McCain leads both Democrats by more than twenty percentage points.

Twenty-nine percent (29%) of Pennsylvania voters say that American society is generally unfair and discriminatory. Among these voters, both Democrats have a wide advantage. Clinton leads McCain by a two-to-one margin, Obama by a three-to-one margin.

Of course the candidates have to file to run...and just for fun, here's a look at the form both Clinton and Obama had to file before getting on the April ballot.

Also, a good site with PA political info (and more links to others) is www.Keystonepolitics.com.  Check it out, if you're so inclined.

We'll keep track of the trends in PA and update you over the next few weeks as things develop...

Thanks for reading.  TA

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[PEM]

Another PA political site with a slightly more conservative bent, but refers to news around the state.

www.grassrootspa.com