As Voter Registration Deadlines Loom, Push to Reach 4.5 Million in Pennsylvania, New Jersey

The buzz around the Nov. 6 midterm elections, which will decide who controls Congress for the next two years, has become tangible in recent weeks.

But closer deadlines for registering to vote on Nov. 6 loom in each state, and political action groups, mostly progressive and liberal organizations, are canvassing neighborhoods from Philadelphia to South Jersey to Wilmington.

These progressive organizations argue that the stakes have never been higher, with Republicans in charge of both chambers of Congress as well as the White House, at the same time that millions of young and minority voter-age residents remain unregistered.

In Pennsylvania and New Jersey, 4.5 million voter-age residents are not registered to vote, according to the Voter Participation Center, an organization that targets what it called the "Rising American Electorate."

That group is defined as unmarried women, people of color and millennials, the center says.

"The Rising American Electorate makes up the majority of the voting-eligible population in America, and are responsible for more than 80 percent of the population growth in the U.S. in recent years," a spokesman for the center said. "However, the RAE has never cast the majority of votes in any American election."

In Pennsylvania, the governor's race between incumbent Tom Wolf, a Democrat, and Republican challenger Scott Wagner has added to the drama in the Keystone State. Down-ballot races, like lesser known fights for hundreds of seats in state legislatures, don't get much press, but decide what political party controls law-making at the state level for years to come.

Voter registration awareness is particularly heightened this week as Tuesday, Sept. 25 — exactly six weeks from the Nov. 6 election — marked the sixth annual National Voter Registration Day.

In 2016, according to the namesake non-profit that oversees the annual event, 750,000 people registered to vote.

The day now has the support of the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors.

For those 18 and older still unregistered to vote in Pennsylvania, the deadline is Oct. 9. In New Jersey, the deadline is Oct. 16. In Delaware, the deadline is Oct. 13.

For Pennsylvania residents, here is the link to information on how to register.

For New Jersey residents, here is the link to information on how to register.

For Delaware residents, here is the link to information on how to register.