Voter registration rises in suburban St. Louis after Ferguson shooting

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- More than 3,000 additional residents are newly registered to vote in a St. Louis suburb where a white police officer fatally shot an unarmed black 18-year-old.

The St. Louis County Election Board reports that 3,287 people registered to vote in Ferguson since the shooting Aug. 9, which spurred sometimes violent protests.

Ferguson is driving an uptick in St. Louis County registration. Almost 70 percent of the 4,839 newly registered voters in the county are from the mostly black community of Ferguson.

The shooting spurred increased efforts to boost civic participation in the area, including voter registration drives by local activists and national figures such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

The registration numbers are from Sept. 30. Voter registration ends Wednesday.