State-Journal.com - Registration group targets KSU, low-income residents

Photo By State Journal/Kelly MackeyMax Thomas, left, and Neill Fox sit at a table in front of the Democratic Headquarters on St. Clair Street as they register people to vote.

By focusing on students at Kentucky State University and low-income residents, organizer Max Thomas says he's helped more than 1,000 register to vote.

"It's a labor of love," he told The State Journal.

The deadline is Monday and Thomas said he plans to continue canvassing door-to-door this weekend. However, Thomas is quick to share credit for the effort with his wife and 30 volunteers.

Franklin County Clerk Guy Zeigler said Thomas' team has been busy and is likely one of the largest efforts in recent years.

For the last six weeks, Thomas and the other volunteers have been going door-to-door on Holmes Street and Thorn Hill and have set up tables at Pic Pac, Wal-Mart and Save A Lot. They also register voters at high school football games.

Although Thomas supports Democratic presidential candidate Barrack Obama, the voter registration drive is a non-partisan effort, he said. Thomas said he doesn't ask voters if they are Republican or Democrat and accepts registration cards for either party.

"I have a sincere interest in getting everybody registered to vote " Republicans, Democrats and Independents," he said.

"Being a black African American, the right to vote is engrained in me. Everybody should use that right to vote."

Thompson, 53, is a retired state employee and said his team registered about 500 students at KSU during a weeklong effort on campus.

"The students are really involved this year, and they are wanting to vote," he said. "They just didn't know how to get registered."

Volunteers also registered several hundred low-income residents after targeting areas like Prince Hall and Holmes Street, Thomas said.

"People are really happy to see us," he said.

Many are eager to register because they are enthused about the presidential contest between Obama and Republican candidate John McCain, he said.

Thomas even took his table and forms to a family reunion in Shelbyville in August and registered 30 relatives.

"They were just so happy, they thought it was the best thing," he said.

Zeigler said voter registration has increased in the last few weeks and is on track to be above average.

Absentee voting also started last week and so far 31 have voted on a machine in Zeigler's office, he said. Zeigler has also received 191 absentee requests for paper ballots which is above average and will likely increase, he said.

Because the election is still five weeks away, Zeigler said it's difficult to predict turnout. Local voter turnout for the 2004 presidential election was 73 percent and Zeigler said it will probably be within the same range on Nov. 4.

2.	Posted by z4life October 1, 2008
	Non-partisan effort, HAHAHAHA! Obviously Mr. Glasser thinks we're all idiots. What people are specifically being targeted? Black and/or low-income people. Who do you think these people will most likely vote for...a Democrat, ding ding ding, we have a winner. Mr. Glasser could've been honest and just said that democratic supporters were out trying to register those that will most likely vote democrat. I have no problem with supporters of either party trying to seek out those that will vote for their candidate, but please, don't call it a non-partisan effort, that's just dumb. It amazes me that that they've gotten over 1,000 people registered to vote. Are people really that lazy? Apparently, filling out a voter registration card is more difficult than I thought. Is it really that hard to use the internet at home or at the library to find out how or where to do this? I guess using the phonebook to call someone downtown is too much work too. I guess all of these people have never transferred a title before since you can get a registration card at the county clerk's office. It sure can be rough being lazy and unmotivated.