Dem Vs. Rep Voter Registration Strategies

mikemike · 06-01-2012, 07:52 AM

They had a story on the radio this morning about some typical scuffles in Florida, the SOS trying to purge the rolls of non-citizens and attempts to limit third-party groups (usually democrat leaning groups) from registering voters. At the end of the story the journalist said something along the lines of "the democrats are always trying to register new voters and the republicans are trying to get there voters out to the polls."

The politics/positions/etc. differences between republicans and democrats aside, that last piece really struck me as one of the democratic party's big problems. They are like a business that constantly needs to attract new customers just to stay in place because they hemorrhage so many customers that go to their competitor, the republicans, and become lifelong loyal customers. When you have a business model like that, something doesn't usually "smell right" with it because you can see that they don't treat their customers right and thats why they leave. It's like my old phone company which got people to sign up with all kinds of introductory offers then when your contract expired they wouldn't offer any promotional rate to renew, even when I threatened to leave; so I left and they had to find a new customer to replace me and make me wonder what kind of fools would stick around and pay more than they needed to when others offered better service at a lower everyday price.

Nesster · 06-01-2012, 12:40 PM

LOL Mike, you come up with some interesting slants on things, I like that!

A different marketing take on this is that the Dems have a growth strategy - their potential market is growing and they can therefore afford a 'get them in the door' approach.

The Reps have a stagnant market, and therefore their marketing has to be aimed at a zero sum game: aquire the competition's customer, and maximize your profit from your existing ones.

**luftfluss** · 06-01-2012, 01:19 PM

OK, I'll play!

The Dems "hemorrhage so many customers that go to their competitor" - the Republicans - because as the Dems lose their aging base to the Republicans. The Republicans lose their base to Death. The "old Dems" convert to Republicanism because as many people grow old they grow scared, and the Repubs prey on this, kinda like those phone calls promising the world if you'll only give them your credit card and SS numbers.

GeneV · 06-01-2012, 02:47 PM

Originally posted by mikemike

The politics/positions/etc. differences between republicans and democrats aside, that last piece really struck me as one of the democratic party's big problems. They are like a business that constantly needs to attract new customers just to stay in place because they hemorrhage so many customers that go to their competitor, the republicans, and become lifelong loyal customers. When you have a business model like that, something doesn't usually "smell right" with it because you can see that they don't treat their customers right and thats why they leave. It's like my old phone company which got people to sign up with all kinds of introductory offers then when your contract expired they wouldn't offer any promotional rate to renew, even when I threatened to leave; so I left and they had to find a new customer to replace me and make me wonder what kind of fools would stick around and pay more than they needed to when others offered better service at a lower everyday price.

What doesn't smell right is your conclusion. Where did you pull this from? Dems want to register new voters because the growth in population has tended to be among groups which vote Democratic. Where are you getting the part about it being only the Democrats who need to deal with leaving? If one looks at the statistics, both parties are losing members and are having to rebuild, but over the last 5 years or so, there has been more loss to the GOP. Counting leaners, the country is in close to a tie, and it behooves a party to make sure that all its supporters and leaners vote.

Quote:

s of 2010, Gallup polling found that 31% of Americans identified as Democrats, 29% as Republicans, and 38% as independents.[3] By 2011 Gallup found that Americans identifying as independents had risen to 40 percent. Gallup's historical data show that the proportion of independents in 2011 was the largest in 60 years. This increase came at the expense of Republican identification, which dropped to 27%, while Democratic identification held steady from 2011. Nevertheless, more American independents leaned to the Republican Party when compared to the Democratic Party. Combining leaners with each party's core identifiers, for 2011 the parties ended up tied at 45 percent.[4]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_party_strength_in_U.S._states

Last edited by GeneV; 06-01-2012 at 02:57 PM.

dankoBanana · 06-01-2012, 02:52 PM

hDems hemorrhage of votes is due to the fact that Repubs limit voting rights in a way that targets democrat voters. One example would be early voting. Polls show that early voters vote for democrats so the Republicans are trying to get rid of early voting.

The bottom line is this. One party is trying to get more people to vote, while the other party is trying to stop that. Which one do you think benefits a democratic system? There is a reason why its called the DEMOCRATIC party

mikemike · 06-01-2012, 06:49 PM

Originally posted by GeneV

What doesn't smell right is your conclusion. Where did you pull this from? Dems want to register new voters because the growth in population has tended to be among groups which vote Democratic. Where are you getting the part about it being only the Democrats who need to deal with leaving?

I wouldn't really say it is a conclusion, more of a hypothesis I guess. I don't think anyone has done any real research tracking party switching or leaning patterns over time. It just seems that the democrats put a lot of effort into hustling to get first time voters registered (and has been doing that for decades) while comparatively struggling with repeat voters. I can't say definitively whether those people then switch to republicans or just get apathetic and check out of the voting scene altogether but it seems like the republicans maintain parity without putting the least bit effort into recruiting new voters.

Ratmagiclady · 06-01-2012, 10:58 PM

Somewhat related, here:

Dirty Tricks In Wisconsin: Secret Group Shuts Down Phones Of Scott Walker's Democratic Challenger With Spam Texts | ThinkProgress

Nesster · 06-02-2012, 05:11 AM

Originally posted by mikemike

I wouldn't really say it is a conclusion, more of a hypothesis I guess. I don't think anyone has done any real research tracking party switching or leaning patterns over time. It just seems that the democrats put a lot of effort into hustling to get first time voters registered (and has been doing that for decades) while comparatively struggling with repeat voters. I can't say definitively whether those people then switch to republicans or just get apathetic and check out of the voting scene altogether but it seems like the republicans maintain parity without putting the least bit effort into recruiting new voters.

A quick google and seems like the research that comes to the top has to do with the elected official's switching parties, and not the voting public's.

The traditional view of Republicanism (well, in the last century anyway) is that as people become property owners and older they tend towards Republicanism, in the interests of their property and its related expenses. Property tends to be a long term proposition - and that's a basic definition of conservative, no?

As I first said, the Dems have a constantly growing market, so a get-them-in-the-door works. Some will stay and buy more, others will return occasionally, and some won't at all.

One explanation of the growth of the Independents has to do with the polarization of social vs economic policies in the two parties. I've met several people who mumble 'oh I vote for whoever is the best candidate' when asked... these might have been Rockefeller Republicans in the past, but now in in a Blue State, there is shame about the more extreme Republican social politics and even some of the economics. I could imagine something similar is going on in Red States, in reverse: people who would have been conservative Democrats are now Independents and mumbling 'oh I vote for whoever is the best candidate' when asked by their (likely) conservative Republican friends.

GeneV · 06-02-2012, 07:22 AM

Another reason people are dropping out of the two parties is the prevalence of negative ads. In a binary system, you trash the other side, and that theoretically helps your side. However, with enough of this constant barrage, the voters end up holding their noses and voting for the lesser evil. This leads to disavowing either evil, but "leaning" one way or the other as an independent.

GeneV · 06-05-2012, 05:02 AM

The latest Pew polls show continuing deterioration of party registration, but still the GOP has dropped farthest, with only 24% identification.

06-01-2012, 07:52 AM	#1
mikemike Inactive Account Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: New Orleans Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,053	Dem Vs. Rep Voter Registration Strategies They had a story on the radio this morning about some typical scuffles in Florida, the SOS trying to purge the rolls of non-citizens and attempts to limit third-party groups (usually democrat leaning groups) from registering voters. At the end of the story the journalist said something along the lines of "the democrats are always trying to register new voters and the republicans are trying to get there voters out to the polls." The politics/positions/etc. differences between republicans and democrats aside, that last piece really struck me as one of the democratic party's big problems. They are like a business that constantly needs to attract new customers just to stay in place because they hemorrhage so many customers that go to their competitor, the republicans, and become lifelong loyal customers. When you have a business model like that, something doesn't usually "smell right" with it because you can see that they don't treat their customers right and thats why they leave. It's like my old phone company which got people to sign up with all kinds of introductory offers then when your contract expired they wouldn't offer any promotional rate to renew, even when I threatened to leave; so I left and they had to find a new customer to replace me and make me wonder what kind of fools would stick around and pay more than they needed to when others offered better service at a lower everyday price.

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06-01-2012, 12:40 PM	#2
Nesster Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: NJ USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 13,072	LOL Mike, you come up with some interesting slants on things, I like that! A different marketing take on this is that the Dems have a growth strategy - their potential market is growing and they can therefore afford a 'get them in the door' approach. The Reps have a stagnant market, and therefore their marketing has to be aimed at a zero sum game: aquire the competition's customer, and maximize your profit from your existing ones.

06-01-2012, 01:19 PM	#3
luftfluss Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: NJ Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,627	OK, I'll play! The Dems "hemorrhage so many customers that go to their competitor" - the Republicans - because as the Dems lose their aging base to the Republicans. The Republicans lose their base to Death. The "old Dems" convert to Republicanism because as many people grow old they grow scared, and the Repubs prey on this, kinda like those phone calls promising the world if you'll only give them your credit card and SS numbers.

06-01-2012, 02:47 PM	#4
GeneV Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Albuquerque NM Photos: Albums Posts: 9,830	Originally posted by mikemike The politics/positions/etc. differences between republicans and democrats aside, that last piece really struck me as one of the democratic party's big problems. They are like a business that constantly needs to attract new customers just to stay in place because they hemorrhage so many customers that go to their competitor, the republicans, and become lifelong loyal customers. When you have a business model like that, something doesn't usually "smell right" with it because you can see that they don't treat their customers right and thats why they leave. It's like my old phone company which got people to sign up with all kinds of introductory offers then when your contract expired they wouldn't offer any promotional rate to renew, even when I threatened to leave; so I left and they had to find a new customer to replace me and make me wonder what kind of fools would stick around and pay more than they needed to when others offered better service at a lower everyday price. What doesn't smell right is your conclusion. Where did you pull this from? Dems want to register new voters because the growth in population has tended to be among groups which vote Democratic. Where are you getting the part about it being only the Democrats who need to deal with leaving? If one looks at the statistics, both parties are losing members and are having to rebuild, but over the last 5 years or so, there has been more loss to the GOP. Counting leaners, the country is in close to a tie, and it behooves a party to make sure that all its supporters and leaners vote. Quote: s of 2010, Gallup polling found that 31% of Americans identified as Democrats, 29% as Republicans, and 38% as independents.[3] By 2011 Gallup found that Americans identifying as independents had risen to 40 percent. Gallup's historical data show that the proportion of independents in 2011 was the largest in 60 years. This increase came at the expense of Republican identification, which dropped to 27%, while Democratic identification held steady from 2011. Nevertheless, more American independents leaned to the Republican Party when compared to the Democratic Party. Combining leaners with each party's core identifiers, for 2011 the parties ended up tied at 45 percent.[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_party_strength_in_U.S._states Last edited by GeneV; 06-01-2012 at 02:57 PM.

06-01-2012, 02:52 PM	#5
dankoBanana Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Zagreb, Croatia Posts: 533	hDems hemorrhage of votes is due to the fact that Repubs limit voting rights in a way that targets democrat voters. One example would be early voting. Polls show that early voters vote for democrats so the Republicans are trying to get rid of early voting. The bottom line is this. One party is trying to get more people to vote, while the other party is trying to stop that. Which one do you think benefits a democratic system? There is a reason why its called the DEMOCRATIC party

06-01-2012, 06:49 PM	#6
mikemike Inactive Account Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: New Orleans Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,053 Original Poster	Originally posted by GeneV What doesn't smell right is your conclusion. Where did you pull this from? Dems want to register new voters because the growth in population has tended to be among groups which vote Democratic. Where are you getting the part about it being only the Democrats who need to deal with leaving? I wouldn't really say it is a conclusion, more of a hypothesis I guess. I don't think anyone has done any real research tracking party switching or leaning patterns over time. It just seems that the democrats put a lot of effort into hustling to get first time voters registered (and has been doing that for decades) while comparatively struggling with repeat voters. I can't say definitively whether those people then switch to republicans or just get apathetic and check out of the voting scene altogether but it seems like the republicans maintain parity without putting the least bit effort into recruiting new voters.

06-01-2012, 10:58 PM	#7
Ratmagiclady Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,563	Somewhat related, here: Dirty Tricks In Wisconsin: Secret Group Shuts Down Phones Of Scott Walker's Democratic Challenger With Spam Texts \| ThinkProgress

06-02-2012, 05:11 AM	#8
Nesster Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: NJ USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 13,072	Originally posted by mikemike I wouldn't really say it is a conclusion, more of a hypothesis I guess. I don't think anyone has done any real research tracking party switching or leaning patterns over time. It just seems that the democrats put a lot of effort into hustling to get first time voters registered (and has been doing that for decades) while comparatively struggling with repeat voters. I can't say definitively whether those people then switch to republicans or just get apathetic and check out of the voting scene altogether but it seems like the republicans maintain parity without putting the least bit effort into recruiting new voters. A quick google and seems like the research that comes to the top has to do with the elected official's switching parties, and not the voting public's. The traditional view of Republicanism (well, in the last century anyway) is that as people become property owners and older they tend towards Republicanism, in the interests of their property and its related expenses. Property tends to be a long term proposition - and that's a basic definition of conservative, no? As I first said, the Dems have a constantly growing market, so a get-them-in-the-door works. Some will stay and buy more, others will return occasionally, and some won't at all. One explanation of the growth of the Independents has to do with the polarization of social vs economic policies in the two parties. I've met several people who mumble 'oh I vote for whoever is the best candidate' when asked... these might have been Rockefeller Republicans in the past, but now in in a Blue State, there is shame about the more extreme Republican social politics and even some of the economics. I could imagine something similar is going on in Red States, in reverse: people who would have been conservative Democrats are now Independents and mumbling 'oh I vote for whoever is the best candidate' when asked by their (likely) conservative Republican friends.

06-02-2012, 07:22 AM	#9
GeneV Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Albuquerque NM Photos: Albums Posts: 9,830	Another reason people are dropping out of the two parties is the prevalence of negative ads. In a binary system, you trash the other side, and that theoretically helps your side. However, with enough of this constant barrage, the voters end up holding their noses and voting for the lesser evil. This leads to disavowing either evil, but "leaning" one way or the other as an independent.

06-05-2012, 05:02 AM	#10
GeneV Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Albuquerque NM Photos: Albums Posts: 9,830	The latest Pew polls show continuing deterioration of party registration, but still the GOP has dropped farthest, with only 24% identification.