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October 6, 2004Droves of voters register to 'help make a difference'Scores sign up for the first timeByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Jennifer Peschel of Traverse City just registered to vote for the first time - and it's not because she's happy with the status quo. The 22-year-old Leelanau County native is among hundreds of northern Michigan residents who signed up to vote in the waning days before Monday's registration deadline. Regional election officials reported a strong upswing in voter interest as the Nov. 2 general election draws near. "It's just a smart thing," Peschel said. "The decisions our president makes affects me, it affects my friends and my family. ... I wasn't happy with the decisions of our (current) president, and I'm ready to be part of changing that." Local election clerks say a wave of late registrations - combined with the early interest in absentee voter ballots - point to a potentially strong voter turnout in northern Michigan. "Intense" is how Emmet County Clerk Irene Granger described voter activity in her office. She's been swamped with mail, faxes and phone calls from people eager to vote. "We have so many (registrations) coming in, particularly from college kids and a lot of seniors," said Granger, who has one of her deputy clerks working full-time processing new registrations. Leelanau County Clerk Michelle Crocker said pre-deadline interest is as high as she's seen in her 23 years in the office. "It's been heavy. ... There's been a lot of phone inquiries, a lot of people coming in," Crocker said. "I just don't remember this much activity in the past." Nineteen-year-old Adam Tyler, who lives in Traverse City's Central neighborhood, just registered because he said it's important to participate in the political process - not just talk about it. "A lot of people will sit back and complain about the decisions that are made, and then you ask them if they vote and they say no," Tyler said. "I want to do something to help make a difference." Tyler and Peschel were among scores of first-time voters who signed up in the city in recent days. "We did get an influx (of registrations) over the past week," Traverse City Clerk Debbra Curtiss said, reporting that about 75 new voters in the city registered in the final week. "To me, that's a lot of interest for the size of our community." Election officials also said the number of absentee ballots requested by voters is up significantly from elections two and four years ago, which they say should add up to plenty of local activity on election day. "I think it's going to be a good turnout," Crocker said. "I think it's going to be a long (election) night."
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