Democrats launching 'all-hands-on-deck' voter registration effort

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is launching an “all-hands-on-deck" voter registration push this week as the party has lagged behind the GOP in recruiting new voters. 

The DNC announced Monday it will hold more than 50 voter registration events this week in 27 states and territories, with National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday. The organization said this is the first time in years it is directly supporting registration efforts for the annual day devoted to getting people signed up to vote. 

“During the DNC’s Voter Registration Week of Action, Democrats will be all-hands-on-deck to organize and register voters across the country,” said DNC Chair Ken Martin in a statement. 

Martin noted that the effort comes after the DNC’s “Organizing Summer” during which it expanded its volunteer base to 41,000 people and made contact with over 1.6 million voters. 

The New York Times reported last month that Democrats were falling well behind Republicans in voter registration, losing ground in each of the 30 states that track voter registration by party between the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections. The report came as the Democratic Party as a whole remains deeply unpopular with voters in the aftermath of last November’s election, and Democrats said the party needs to acknowledge the voter registration issue to ensure future success. 

The events announced Monday will take place in more than 37 congressional districts and include events like local voter registration drives and statewide days of action. The national party will work with state parties, college Democrats and grassroots organizers to “meet voters where they are.” 

The DNC said that events are taking place at colleges like the University of Arizona, Michigan State University and Virginia Commonwealth University. 

“We’re building the infrastructure necessary to win everywhere,” Martin said. “The work continues now.”