Crucial Election Inspires 3.5M to Sign Up to Vote

Despite claims of an exhausting race, voter registration is officially lifting off this year, with an AP survey reporting that over 3.5 million new voters have signed up. Detailed data are only available from a few states, the AP reports, but what there is suggests that registration is particularly high for African Americans and women.

And despite (or because of) the increasingly tough race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the registration boom is clearly favoring Democratic voters, the AP notes. "This could change the face of American politics for decades to come," says Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, foreseeing long-term gains for the Democrats. (More voter registration stories.)