EVANSVILLE , Indiana ( CNN ) -- With the pump reading $ 4.29 a gallon , many of the gas station 's patrons are more than a little grumpy . But , one by one , they are approached by Dominique Morson . Sen. Barack Obama is looking to turn Indiana from red to blue in November . `` Excuse me , sir : Are you registered to vote , and if so is it at your current address ? '' she asks . She is polite and persistent , approaching more than two dozen customers during an hour or so at a gas station in Evansville , Indiana , a blue-collar community in southern Indiana not far from the Kentucky border . Of those she approaches , most say they are already registered , several say they are not , but not interested . Three , though , stop and answer the questions as Morson fills out the state 's registration form and then hands it over for the new applicant to sign . She is not alone . Another handful of Sen. Barack Obama volunteers work the lot , while a dozen more go door to door in Evansville , part of a major grassroots effort aimed at turning one of the most reliably Republican states in presidential politics from red to blue . `` I think we can . I really do , '' Morson told us during a quick break from her efforts . `` We have enough people dedicated to the campaign and enough people who want to see some change , so I think we will . '' The fact that Indiana even makes the list of battleground states is itself stunning . George W. Bush won the state with 57 percent in 2000 and 60 percent in 2004 . The last time Indiana backed a Democrat for president was Lyndon Johnson 44 years ago . Obama 's chances here could rest on the aggressive voter registration and identification effort . When Obama campaign volunteers register a voter , they also add them to the Obama database , and maintain contact with the voter . Voter registration is nonpartisan , so there is no way of knowing for sure how many of the new voters -- and those who have erased any eligibility questions by updating their addresses -- are Democrats . But Republican Secretary of State Todd Rokita , the state 's chief elections officer , said Sen. John McCain 's campaign had better take notice . `` They have a fight here in Indiana and it is real , '' Rokita said . The numbers are dramatic : In 2004 , 2.5 million ballots were cast for president in Indiana . And in that entire cycle , the state received some 565,000 new and updated registrations . This year , the number is already in excess of 562,000 and given the recent spike in activity by campaigns and other organizations , Rokita tells CNN he expects to hit a record 750,000 by the state 's October 6 registration deadline . `` I will say that this is the first time I have ever seen a Democratic presidential campaign this engaged in this state . Usually Indiana is No . 1 for the red states on election night when it comes to president , '' Rokita told CNN in an interview in his state Capitol office in Indianapolis . While Obama allies are upbeat , to travel the state is to find proof that to turn Indiana blue will be a difficult challenge . Its farm communities and small towns lean conservative . In Washington , for example , President Bush carried 75 percent of the vote four years ago . It is a town of about 11,000 and home of the Williams Bros. health care and pharmaceutical supply company . Mark Williams takes visible pride in the fourth-generation family enterprise , and says in his view McCain is more in tune with his needs as a small businessman , and with his views of the proper role of government in issues like health care reform . His take is significant : Though he is a registered Republican , Williams was not a Bush fan and voted Democratic for president in 2000 and 2004 . This year , he says experience matters and McCain is far more ready in his view . He also rejects the frequent Obama attempts to link McCain to Bush . `` When you look a the resumes between McCain and Sen. Obama ... Sen. McCain is a lot more experienced , '' Williams said in an interview in his office filled with memorabilia of a business that stretches back generations . Of McCain he says , `` He has never stood by the rules of the Republicans . He has always voted the way he believes . He tells people what they need to hear not always the most popular thing . '' In Evansville , too , there is plenty of evidence that Obama faces long odds here . As volunteers went door to door in a blue-collar neighborhood Sunday for nearly an hour , they came across just one voter who promised to support the Democratic nominee . One said he was a definite McCain voter , and several others said they were undecided , and accepted literature from the volunteers .
Democrats and the Obama campaign see Indiana in play . The state carries 11 Electoral College votes ; 270 needed to win the presidency . Obama campaign workers hitting the streets with their message . Many Democrats and Republican say Obama will most likely come up short .