Analyst: Obama's buzz increases Alabama black voter registrations
BIRMINGHAM — State election officials say there has been an increase in voter registration by blacks in Alabama, and excitement surrounding Barack Obama's presidential bid likely is a key factor.
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The percentage of black active registered voters has risen from 24 percent to 25 percent since the last election, a figure near the proportion of Alabama's black population, slightly more than 26 percent, according to the U.S. Census.
Election data with the Alabama Secretary of State's office showed that as of June 30, there were 641,815 active black voters — an increase of about 14,500 from 2004. More are expected by November. White active registration, at 1,910,289 on June 30 is short of its 2004 level by about 31,000 voters.
Voters are moved to the inactive rolls if they haven't voted in the past four years or have no confirmed address.
David Lanoue, chairman of the political science department at the University of Alabama, said Obama has driven many black voters to register.
"His campaign also worked so hard to organize Alabama during the primary season, and that is paying off with registration now," Lanoue told The Birmingham News for a story published Thursday.
Alabama's active voter registration climbed from 2.55 million at the end of January to 2.6 million at the end of June.
"You are getting to a point where African-American voters will be, at the very least, proportionally represented," Lanoue said. "I have heard the biggest hurdle is to get people to register. If you get them to register, there is a good chance you will get them to vote."
He said he doesn't believe Obama will win Alabama in November, but an increase in black voters could help the Democratic Party in other races.
"If you have a strong increase in African-American voters and that persists after the 2008 election, that will begin to make Democratic candidates more competitive at the state level," Lanoue said.
