Voter signups of minorities increase as election nears

Ready or not, here they come: A record spate of voter registrations this fall is poised to send voters flooding into polls in nine days.In Revere, 1,236 residents registered between late August and Oct. 15 compared to 687 in the same period of time in 2004. In Lynn, in the same time frame, 122 residents in the Sagamore Hill voting precinct registered to vote.?I?ve never seen an election of this magnitude,” said Revere Election Commissioner Diane Colella.Colella and Lynn City Clerk Mary Audley attributed skyrocketing registrations to intense interest in this year?s presidential election, underscored by heightened interest among minority residents.?There has been an increase in minorities registering and individuals who had been on the voting rolls as inactive,” Audley said.She said a voter registration signup at Stop & Shop attracted a significant number of minorities and Colella said Revere registrations included “a significant increase in the enrollment of minority voters.”National Association for the Advancement of Colored People executive board member Darrell Murkison of Lynn said the organization registered 697 voters since April by making the rounds of churches, beauty parlors and high schools where NAACP members signed up 150 teenagers.?The majority of African Americans see an opportunity to play a part in something they?ve never been a part of before. The dream that you can be anything you want to be is now attainable,” the former School Committee candidate said.That?s not news to Maria Carrasco who made history a year ago with her election to the School Committee as a Spanish-speaking candidate.Carrasco credited Neighbor to Neighbor, an Exchange Street-based organization with roots in Salem, for signing up new voters. Carrasco tapped into the organization?s support to win a committee seat and she is among the elected officials who credit Neighbor to Neighbor with helping Gov. Deval Patrick get elected in 2006.She is a Neighbor to Neighbor board member and says the registration boost in Sagamore Hill (Ward 4, Precinct 4) is a direct result of the voter registration effort Neighbor to Neighbor participated in.?We never stop going door to door asking people to vote and, at the same time, checking to see if they are registered,” Carrasco said.Neighbor to Neighbor organizer Jose Hernandez said the sputtering economy has spurred registrations among Spanish-speaking residents eligible to vote.?How many people do we have without jobs? Most Latinos are poor in this country,” he said.Carrasco is confident record breaking registration numbers will translate into voters flocking to the polls on Nov. 4 but Murkison warned that registering someone to vote is not a guarantee they will go to the polls.?That?s my biggest fear,” he said.Colella expects a deluge of voters from the Overlook Ridge complex to cast votes at the ITAM post on Lucia Avenue. Audley is preparing to post direction signs at polls and station greeters at the entrances.She urged Lynn residents to check their voting status by calling City Hall and making sure voter lists include their current address.