Registered chickens

An article in the Washington Post points out one reason Virginia Republicans are increasingly nervous about the November election - since January, over 147,000 people have registered to vote and more than half are under the age of 25. The increase is unprecedented and most observers believe it is the result of enthusiasm for Barack Obama and vigorous grassroots efforts by his campaign and other Democratic groups' to reach out to new and younger voters. That effort can be seen in the Obama campaign opening nearly 30 offices across the state.

The voter registration increases are seen throughout the Shenandoah Valley as well. For example, Augusta County registrations increased from 40,405 in January to 41,329 in July. And that was before the Obama campaign opened offices in Staunton and Harrisonburg.

The Republican reaction is, of course, more fear mongering. The GOP state chair, Jeff Frederick, says it is "coordinated and widespread voter fraud" and talks about corruption, identity theft, and tainted registrations. He offers no substantive proof of such allegations, preferring instead to use one or two isolated examples along with vague suggestions, innuendo, and the language of fear.

Voter registrars and electoral boards across the commonwealth see absolutely no evidence of an increase in fraudulent registrations or other problems Mr. Frederick cites. The Republicans and their lying friends on the wingnut blogs are deep into the politics of desperation.