Party time? Not for one-third of new voters

An extraordinary one-third of voters nationwide now consider themselves without major-party affiliation, according to a Rasmussen Reports study -- prompting the question of whether the parties are really trying to sign up members, and if so, how hard.

Consider the biggest regional race of this month, in which the GOP's Bob Turner beat the Democrats' David Weprin despite their 3-1 enrollment edge in the Queens-Brooklyn congressional district.

State enrollment numbers show the parties' memberships by percentage have changed very little in the 9th District over 10 years. Democrats, who made up 59.2 percent in 2001, were 57 percent in 2011. The share of Republicans went from 18.5 percent to 18.2 percent. Partyless voters rose -- from 18.9 percent to 21 percent.

Turner was asked if there was any way the GOP could start signing up Democrats and "blanks" who helped him. He paused for several seconds before responding: "I'm sure. But I'll have to rely on the professional politicians to tell me how to do that. I don't know."

Party leaders often talk about expanding the franchise. But retail trawling for new enrollments seems to have less than foremost priority.

"Well, there are voter registration drives that we do run," says state and Nassau Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs. "Sometimes it's disappointing that [with] people we attract through enrollment drives, we'll find it very difficult to get them out to vote when election time comes."

Typically, Jacobs says, "when you see voters enrolling in large numbers in political parties, it's because of a candidate. When Barack Obama was running in a primary between him and Hillary Clinton, Democratic enrollment surged. It was exciting. Young people were motivated."

Anthony Casale, chief of staff to state Republican chairman Ed Cox, calls enrollment programs "important but part of a larger party-building effort," adding: "Message and core principles are just as important these days." Voters often split their tickets, depending on the race and the candidates. "But it's still nice to have the enrollment, because obviously it's a selling point, a bragging right," Casale said.

Dan Cantor, executive director of the state Working Families Party, says one reason for the growth of unaffiliated voting is, "Parties stopped standing quite so clearly for things. People may feel the parties care more about donors than regular people. The cynicism is bad for democracy. I think you want to have clear distinctions so people know what they're getting."