Bryan Thompson, county clerk/auditor, said 80,000 Utah County residents have newly registered for next week's election, increasing voter rolls by 44 percent.

"You always get a lot more interest in a presidential election," Thompson said Tuesday. "But this took the county from 180,000 to 260,000 registered voters."

He said part of it might be natural growth combined with interest in the McCain-Obama contest.

Utah County GOP Chairwoman Marian Monnahan said the numbers would have been even higher had former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had made it onto the GOP ticket.

Richard Davis, MonnaÂhan's Democratic counterpart, said the surge appears linked to the presidential campaign, especially the historic possibility of electing the nation's first African-American president.

And, Davis said, it could also mean the Republican grip on Utah County - which last elected Democrats on the state or county level in 1994 - is loosening a bit.

Davis said the percentage of new voters registering as Democrats has increased since Sept. 3, to 7 percent. The percentage registering as Republicans, however, has slipped, from 53 percent to 44 percent.

"Four years ago, we had between 6,000 and 7,000 Democrats in Utah County. Today, we have over 11,000," Davis said. He suggested Obama might appeal to younger Utah County voters who identify more with the youthful Obama than McCain, who, if he wins, will be the oldest man to be sworn in as president.

Thompson, the clerk/auditor, said his numbers show all the political parties gaining, with Republicans numbering 134,000, compared with 12,300 Democrats and 110,800 unaffiliated voters.

Monnahan said it's good that people were registering as Democrats and getting involved, but added the important thing is for everyone who registers to vote.

Thompson said that, as of Friday, 9,000 people had cast early ballots.

dmeyers@sltrib.com