The Pittsburgh Press (August 8, 1944)
Editorial: Only registered may vote
This November, according to all indications, a greater number of citizens than ever before will want to cast a ballot in the presidential election.
But a great many citizens, who decide near Election Day that they want to vote, may wake up to discover that it is too late to register.
In Pennsylvania, only those who are registered at least a month before the election may vote. The last day to register is Oct. 7.
Registration officials are now making special efforts to accommodate voters who are not enrolled. Both the city and county offices are open until 9:00 p.m. ET, Monday evenings. For two weeks prior to Oct. 7, they plan to stay open every night until 9:00.
If there is sufficient demand, they may even send registrars into the field to enroll voters.
But all the extra effort of registration officials will be useless unless the voters themselves are interested. They won’t enroll anyone who doesn’t show up and ask to be enrolled.
The time to register is now. Don’t wait for the deadline rush just before Oct. 7 – or, worse, forget about it until after the deadline, thus disfranchising yourself.