Pennsylvania: In Europe it's called Strategic Voting, here it's 'having a say'...

Short-timers swell local GOP rolls
By JOHN LATIMERStaff WriterLebanon Daily News (PA)Apr. 27, 2006-- A significant number of county voters, including a prominent Democratic leader, have switched their party affiliations to Republican in the last several months. Their presumed goal: to make sure their votes count in the May 16 primary election. In the past year, 501 voters have changed parties to Republican, according to voter-registration records. About 30 percent of them — 151 to be exact — have made the switch since March. During that same period a year ago, 109 voters switched to the GOP. Records do not indicate their former party, but they do say nearly 90 percent of the 73,000 voters in the county are registered with a major party.... This year is a typical example. In the local elections for state senator and representatives of the 101st and 102nd House districts, there are no Democratic contests. On the Republican side, however, all three nominations are hotly contested. Because Republicans outnumber Democrats in Lebanon County by a 2-to-1 margin, the winner of the GOP primary usually goes on to win the general election. Many Democrats who want to have some say in who represents them, change registration temporarily so they can vote in the Republican primary. ... more