greg.esposito@roanoke.com 381-1675

With the deadline for registering to vote in November's election about a month away, local organizations are setting out to reverse a trend of dwindling participation in Montgomery County.

The Montgomery County League of Women Voters pegged its goal of 75 percent voter turnout to this election after less than 50 percent of registered voters turned out for the 2001 gubernatorial election. After three years of hosting forums on local elections and holding registration drives at schools and businesses, the group is hoping for one final push before the Oct. 4 deadline.

"I hate to use sports analogies, but we're in an all-court press for roughly four weeks," said Carl McDaniels, a member of the League of Women Voters.

The group will continue holding registration drives from Warm Hearth Village to the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center to Blacksburg High School. McDaniels is hopeful that the youth vote that spurred record turnout in the 1992 election will play a role in boosting participation this year.

Both Democrats and Republicans "know it's a potential gold mine if they can mine it," he said.

The Community Group, a Christiansburg organization formed to increase black participation in the community, also is hoping to create some enthusiasm for the upcoming election. The group is hosting a public gathering Wednesday that will feature Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine. He will discuss the decline in voter participation in Virginia and what can be done to turn it back.

"It's very troubling when you look at how precipitous the decline has been this last generation," Kaine said by telephone Monday.

Residents can register to vote at a booth set up at the gathering. Other politicians, including Del. Jim Shuler, D-Blacksburg, and Virginia state Sens. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, and Phillip Puckett, D-Russell County, will also be there.

"We hope to just get people together, help register voters and help remind them that this is what we're supposed to do," said Penny Franklin, the group's chairwoman.

The registration efforts have been getting some results. Registrar Randy Wertz said his office has been busy. The office has processed 250 absentee ballot requests over the last two months, and there was a net gain of 145 registered voters for June and July. That figure should grow considerably when Wertz adds up August's totals.

"The number of people registering during this time has certainly gone up," he said. "Obviously the interest in the election is high."

Presidential elections typically bring out more voters than other elections. McDaniels was disappointed with voter participation in May's municipal election, even though Blacksburg's 22.2 percent was unusually high. Christiansburg turnout was less than 8.5 percent and McDaniels was hoping for 25 to 30 percent turnout in each locality.

But he's still convinced the 75 percent goal can be reached because of all the attention the upcoming election is generating.

"It's too important to give up on," he said.

Montgomery County residents who would like to register to vote can call the registrar's office at 382-5741. Registration forms are available at the Department of Motor Vehicles, most post offices and libraries.

"That was a race that had the highest percentage of under-25 voters," he said. "The youth vote, which is under-25, has trended down."

The group is sponsoring a program on the influence of the media on elections. But the groups main emphasis is registering voters.

"I'm optimistic that if you go on presidential elections, this one is our best chance."

"It's too important to give up on."

"There's so much more attention on the national election and has been since last year," he said.