The Registered Voter Disparity

Here's something Tom Steyer could be putting his $100 million into, rather than a vanity campaign for president:

A new Washington Post/ABC News poll released over the weekend pointed toward a scenario in which President Trump could win reelection despite his deep and enduring unpopularity.

The poll showed that all of the top-tier Democratic candidates defeat Trump in head-to-head matchups by sizable margins among all U.S. adults. But among registered voters, those matchups suddenly become mostly dead heats. [snip]

Senior Democrats appear wary of this: Last year, the Democratic-aligned super PAC Priorities USA released an analysis showing that alarmingly high percentages of unregistered African American millennials don’t feel that either party represents them. The super PAC noted that registering and involving them in politics must be an urgent Democratic priority going forward.

In the end, one big question is whether eligible nonwhite and millennial voters will increase their turnout rate more in 2020 (relative to 2016) than older and white voters do. That could happen, and it would benefit Democrats. But it does remain very possible that Trump could pull off another miracle with working-class white turnout. (our emphasis)

If large chunks of potential Democratic voters don't get registered to vote (and then get out to vote), all the happy polls in the world won't save us from another term for existential threat Donald "Rump" Trump.  This should be the top priority of the Democratic Party and aligned PACs for the next 18 months, but so far if there's a massive push going on, it's a stealth one.  Most of what we see are worthy, but passive, on- line efforts that rely on someone taking an interest in finding out how to register and then guiding them through the steps.  If that's all there is so far, that ain't cutting it, folks.

If Democrats are to prevail against the onslaught of negative campaigning and voter suppression to come by Republicans, massive voter turnout is essential.  The issues and messages will work themselves out, but you win when you register and get your people to the polls.