The Pittsburgh Press (September 17, 1944)
Registration here hits all-time high
New voter enrollment may reach 75,000
By Kermit McFarland
More residents of Allegheny County will be qualified to vote in the 1944 presidential election than in any previous election, it was indicated today from a preliminary roundup of recent registration activities.
In the last 10 days, registrars visiting slightly more than a third of the county have enrolled more than 20,000 new voters.
These are field registrations only, and do not include those who have registered at the downtown registration offices.
Registration authorities predict that the voter rolls will be increased by 75,000 before the last day to register Oct. 7.
NOTE: It is necessary to register now only if you have not previously been enrolled, or if you have not voted at least once in the last two years. Voters who have moved must also notify election officials.
Enrollments have ben uniformly heavy, both in the industrial districts, where the Democrats have rolled up majorities, and in the Republican residential areas.
Inasmuch as practically every Allegheny County voter absent in the Armed Forces will receive a military ballot, whether or not he is formally registered here, a record number of voters is foreseen.
The high registration mark in the county’s history was reached in the last presidential year, 1940, when 745,191 were enrolled. A total enrollment in excess of 750,000 is anticipated this year, including the voters in the Armed Forces.
Last year, voter registration had dropped to 675,000, of whom only 405,000 actually cast ballots in the municipal and county elections.
In figures compiled to date by the County Elections Department and the Pittsburgh Registration Commission, Democrats and Republicans are about evenly divided.
Pittsburgh figures, which do not include registrations for Saturday, show the Democrats outnumbering the Republicans by a margin of 5–3.
In the boroughs and townships, however, field registrars have enrolled about three Republicans for every two Democrats.
Voters in the November election may mark their ballots for candidates on either or both tickets, regardless of party affiliation.
Field registrations will be continued until the end of the month.
In the last two weeks before the registration deadline Oct. 7, both the city and county registration offices will be open daily until 9:00 p.m. ET.