Evening star., 1952-09-24
Let's Get Out the Vote
Let's Get Out the Vote
Wide Opportunity Yet Remains
For Nearby Area Record Poll
Yet Registration
Loes Below Number
Able to Cost Ballots
By Robert K. Welsh

BY Robert K. Wolsh
Reports that many more women
and firSt-voters are enrolling to
cast ballots in this years election
than in 1948 in nearby Maryland
and Virginia point up wide op-
portunity still remaining to set
Representative registration record.
Registration boards in adjacent
communities are signing up the
largest number In several years.
They note. however, that the turn
outs to date-with only a little
more than a week left until the
October 4 deadline still lag far
below the numbers Of residents
Of voting age.
officials are encouraged be-
cause proportionately larger num-
|bers Of women are registering than
lin 1948, although no official counts
have yet been complied. They
cite increases in the registration
of young people who will have
become 81 years old before Novem-
ber 4. They also call attention
Ito Hundreds" Of registrantS who
have moved over from the District
where they never previously had
Ia chance to vote.
Much Room Yet Remains.
But these encouraging signs are
tempered by some observations
which indicate how much room
yet remains for registering other
wise eligible voters. in this area
and throughout the Nation.
Registration workers show, for
instance, that women Of voting
age outnumbered men by about
LIS million in 1948 and that at
least the same proportion holds
true this year. Yet, almost 5 mil
lion fewer women than men voted
for President four years ago. More
over. whereas the number of wom-
en- registered to vote in 1910 was
about 81 per cent Of the total
estimated registration in this
country, it dropped to A. per cent
in 1948.
The Korean fighting and Sc
lective service complicate the
forecasts about prospective first
voters this year. Census Bureau
reports indicate that about 4 mil
lion young men and women will
be eligible, by age, to vote for the
first time this year. Approx
mately one million of the men are
in the armed services which have
undertaken an intensive drive to
enable them to vote conveniently.
Part Of Overall Picture.
Registration authorities have
no detailed data on the number
of 21-year-olds in Maryland and
Virginia this year. They, never
theless, estimate that, despite an
encouraging response in recent
weeks, several thousand have not
yet registered or otherwise quail
fed to vote in November.
They hope that still another
discouraging trend in elections
since 1882 will be reversed this
year. There has been a long
downward trend in the percent
age Of voters between 81 and Is
years old. War accounted for
some Of that drop, they explain.
Yet the trend was almost as pro-
nounced in some Of the presi-
Dental elections in the 192OS and
1930s.
All Of this seems to be part Of
the overall picture In which the
number Of Americans Of voting
lage has increased more than 10.6
million since 1910. At the same
time the ratio Of actual to po-
tential voters fell from high Of
l62.3 per cent In 1910 to Sis per
lcent in 1948.
The declining rate Of people
who decline their Democratic
obligation to register and vote
has been even more rapid In gen.
leral in Virginia and Maryland and
Especially in some Of the nearby
counties. And this has continued
despite occasional spurts In voting
Interest such as the 81 per cent
loff-year showing In the 1850
Maryland gubernatorial and sena-
ltorial election.
| Gould Have Last Word.
According To come get-out-the-
vote observers. women could well
have the last word in determining