By J.D. Williams

Anna Wakefield didn't know how to register to vote in November's election.

Yesterday she sat in her living room, braiding the hair of her 6-year-old daughter, Ageona, when U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-3rd District, knocked on the door of her Garland Avenue home.

With registration forms in one hand and a container of iced tea to battle the afternoon heat in the other, Yarmuth came in.

Five minutes later he left smiling, having just helped someone register to vote.

"I didn't know how to do it," Wakefield, 40, said, adding that she had no idea Yarmuth would be the one offering a helping hand. "It was cool meeting him."

To encourage eligible voters to register for the Nov. 4 election, Yarmuth and other officials and community leaders led a door-to-door canvass in western Louisville.

The effort -- officials hadn't tallied the number of new registrations by late yesterday -- was timed to commemorate the 43rd anniversary of passage of the Voting Rights Act.

"The recognition of that history, and the rights that were so hard to win, is important. That's why we started this campaign today," Yarmuth said. "We want to make sure that every person who is eligible to vote is registered and encouraged to vote ... whether African American or not."

Yarmuth said he anticipates a large black turnout this fall in support of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic Party's presumptive presidential nominee.

That could help Yarmuth in his race against Republican Anne Northup, whom he defeated two years ago for the 3rd District seat.

"The African-American community will certainly support Obama enthusiastically, and hopefully they'll support me," Yarmuth said.

Ted Jackson, Northup's campaign chairman, said that "it's always a challenge (for Republicans) to reach out to Democrats" but that Northup has a record of helping the area.

"Anne has always been supportive of that community," Jackson said. "She worked hard to bring in funding and represent the entire community."

He said that all Louisvillians want the same result from a U.S. representative -- "to go to Washington and be an advocate."

The last day to register to vote is Oct. 6.

Courier-Journal [1]

8/7/2008