nytimes.com
December 25, 1998
IMPEACHMENT: THE ELECTORATE
Some Voters Are Making Party Switch
By STEVEN A. HOLMES
WASHINGTON -- In a small, but telling sign of the political
fallout from the House impeachment vote, a handful of local
election officials in various parts of the country say a surprising
number of people have officially changed their party registration from
Republican to Democrat.
At this point, the number of party switchers is far too small and
occurring in far too few places to qualify as any sort of national trend.
Typically they number less than 100 in localities where the total
registration among Republicans and Democrats is in the hundreds of
thousands.
Still, county election officials say it is rare during this time of year for
anyone, even this small number, to change party affiliation. A month
after the election with thoughts generally focused on the upcoming
holidays, politics and party registration is the last thing on voters'
minds, the officials say.
"It is significant for this time of year," said Deborah Clark, deputy
administrator for the Florida Election Division office in Pinellas
County. "During the holidays our file is usually pretty static. So this is
different from the same time frame in previous years."
Ms. Clark said that her office, which encompasses the Clearwater
area recorded 75 people dropping their Republican registration
between Dec. 7 and Dec. 21, at the height of the House
impeachment action. Of those, 55 registered as Democrats.
"We've had about 100 people change from Republican to Democrat
in the last week to week and a half," said an election official in Polk
County, Iowa, which includes Des Moines, and who asked not to be
identified. "Some of these guys have been Republican for a long time.
It's very unusual for this time of year."
Although there are scattered instances of party switching that appear
to be connected to the Dec. 19 vote by the House to impeach
President Clinton, election officials in a large number of counties say
they have not discerned any movement away from the Republicans.
"We haven't had anybody do it," said Rebecca Khalifa, the deputy
registrar of Voters in Portland, Maine "In the past two weeks, I don't
think there's been one single person who's done it."
When party switching has occurred it has caught the eye of some
local election officials, especially when there seems to be no apparent
explanation for the change.
The Associated Press this week reported a number of people
switching parties in Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties in
northern California. Again, the numbers were very small -- 20
requests to change parties in Contra Costa, 10 people switching a
day in Santa Clara.
Election officials say changes are surprising since California recently
went to an open primary system, making party registration less
important.
"It's highly unusual for us to get any requests for party change," said
Steve Weir, the Contra Costa elections chief. |
