Roughly a year out from the midterm elections of 2010, more registered voters say they would cast a ballot for a Democratic candidate (47%) than a Republican (42%). However, the GOP has a large advantage over the Democrats in another important pre-election indicator: enthusiasm. Among voters who plan to vote for a Republican, 58% are very enthusiastic about voting, including 56% of independents who plan to vote GOP. Among voters who plan to vote Democratic just 42% are very enthusiastic about casting their vote, and only a third of independents who plan to vote for a Democrat are very enthusiastic. Also, while less than half of Democrats (49%) are very enthusiastic about supporting the party line, six-in-ten Republicans (59%) are very enthusiastic about supporting the GOP next fall. Read More

Russell Heimlich  is a former web developer at Pew Research Center.