(NewsNation) — Voter registration surged 700% after President Joe Biden announced he would not seek reelection, according to the CEO of a nonpartisan voter engagement organization.
Andrea Hailey, chief executive of Vote.org, says that nearly 40,000 new voters registered within 48 hours of Biden’s announcement that he was suspending his campaign and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.
“We particularly saw spikes among young people,” Hailey told “The Hill on NewsNation.” “Most of the registrations were (ages) 18 to 34.”
Hailey noted significant registration increases in key swing states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin. By the end of the week following Biden’s announcement, Vote.org had recorded more than 142,000 new registrations nationwide.
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The organization also indicted there was especially heightened interest among young women voters.
“We’re also seeing spikes among … young women who want to participate in the election,” Hailey said.
While registration surged after Biden’s announcement, Hailey said her organization did not see significant upticks correlated to either the Republican or Democratic national conventions.
Regarding voter ID laws, Hailey cautioned that some new state regulations could disproportionately affect younger voters.
“Some states pass laws, for instance, where you can no longer use your student ID to count as voter ID, but you could use a hunting license,” she explained.
Vote.org reports an 81% conversion rate from registration to voting, suggesting a high likelihood that newly registered individuals will cast ballots in November.
