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In a new development that many activists believe could spark a political shift, voter registration in St. Louis County has soared since August 9, the day that unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot to death by Officer Darren Wilson, an election official said on Thursday.
Activists with This is the Movement, one of the grassroots organizations that formed on the ground in the wake of Brown’s death and subsequent protests, said of the soaring numbers, “This is what democracy looks like.”
Registration booths began popping up throughout the region in August and September as part of the movement that emerged after Brown’s death, which included protests against police racism and brutality and calls to address the rampant racial disparities between the city’s residents and its government officials. The result is that 4,839 people in St. Louis County have registered to vote since August 9, with 3,287 from Ferguson.
Rita Days, St. Louis County director of elections, said organizations like the NAACP, the League of Women Voters, and local fraternities and sororities have all gotten involved in the registration process, among other groups and individuals.
Voters must be registered by Wednesday in order to cast a ballot in the November 4 elections.
Many activists in the area see the soaring registration numbers as an auspicious sign, as early days of protests turned a spotlight on the tense relations between the majority-black residents in Ferguson and their majority-white representatives and police force.
Ferguson, which has a population of less than 22,000, is 67 percent black—but five of its six city council members are white. So is the mayor, James Knowles, a Republican.
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