A blue state gets even bluer

(Independents also continue to grow - there were 515,239 Marylanders listed as "unaffiliated" or "other" by Thursday.)

So what does all of this mean?

So what if Maryland, a blue state on the TV maps, becomes even bluer? We're not "in play."

The campaign of John McCain has rolled through here once or twice, but certainly Republican strategists assume the state's 10 electoral votes are going to Obama. (Historical note: This state might be historically Democratic, but it still at times went for Republicans - George H.W. Bush in 1988, Ronald Reagan in 1984, Richard Nixon in 1972.)

This is what the 2008 numbers mean: a tremendous desire for the change Obama has been talking about and, between the Iraq war and economic conditions, a lot of deep-seated unhappiness over the nation's journey during the Bush-Cheney years.

But if it's assumed this blue state is going for the Democratic candidate this time, then why are so many people still registering to vote? And why are so many people calling the Board of Elections to make sure they're still registered?

Linda Lamone, the state's elections administrator, says that's one of the most telling indicators of voter interest - the "tons of calls and e-mails" from Marylanders to the state and local election boards to see if they're still on the books. Those are people who might have lost interest in politics and elections for a while but who now want to cast their votes, Lamone says.

They might live in Maryland - the blue state that Chris Matthews and the TV pundits hardly ever mention - but they still have a desire to make a statement.

A Maryland Democrat can almost be excused for feeling his or her vote is superfluous. If a Democratic voter expects Obama to take the state - and probably most of them do - why stand in a long line with other Democrats on Election Day? It has been a long campaign - too long - and you could understand why a Maryland Democrat might want to take a walk on this election by now.

But that's not the story. That's not what's happening.

The story is big blue voter registration in a state already solidly blue, and Lamone is expecting a record turnout here.

Every state is different, and you run the risk of foolishness in extrapolating from Maryland's numbers a trend for the nation. But if we find this high level of interest here, then there's an Election Day earthquake brewing.

And that's not just a hunch. Voter registration is off the charts in many states, with a partisan shift to blue in several states.

In Virginia, which will be watched a lot more closely than Maryland on Election Day, registration in September showed a net increase of 101,737 voters, and the Obama campaign believes 80 percent of them are for their man, according to The Washington Post.

Here's another thing, and perhaps the best thing: According to Lamone's staff, the percentage of 18- and 19-year-olds registering to vote for the first time has been unusually high this year. These young Marylanders make up 27.5 percent of all registrations in 2008. In the past four presidential election years, they represented about 11 percent of the electorate. As I say, something big's brewing.

Dan Rodricks can be heard on "Midday" on Mondays through Thursdays, noon to 2 p.m., on 88.1 WYPR-FM.