Even in California -- where Sen. John F. Kerry has had a solid lead over President Bush in the polls for months and candidate visits have been scarce -- voter registration figures are rising.
By early September, the most recent figures available, the state had already added half a million registrants since 2000, to reach 15,625,180 potential voters in the state.
In recent weeks, as the Oct. 18 close of registration for joining the voter rolls neared to qualify for the Nov. 2 election, several counties reported strong gains in registration. Los Angeles County added 130,000 more voters in a recent six-week period, compared with increases during the same time frame four years ago. As of the Oct. 18 deadline, the county had nearly 4 million registered voters.
