zil by entering into this rare-earth market, and I think it's an important thing for the West as a whole. It would also benefit Vale as a company," Science and Technology Minister Aloizio Mercadante told the U.K. newspaper. The government has met several industrial companies to line up customers for rare earths, a group of 17 elements used in producing components for wind turbines, electric cars and computer screens, among other goods. Vale confirmed that it's looking at investing in the production of rare earths, adding that the project remains at a "preliminary stage," according to thal important states, including: -- Florida: Democrats added more than 600,000 registered voters between 2006 and 2008, giving Obama about 4.8 million registered Democrats to help his cause. Registered Democrats now number 4.6 million in the Sunshine State. Republican registrations have slipped from 4.1 million in 2008 to about 4.05 million in mid-March, the most recent data available. Nearly 2.6 million voters in Florida are unaffiliated. -- Pennsylvania: Democrats maintain a 1.5 million voter advantage in registrations over Republicans, but their numbers have dwindled since Obama's election. There were 4.15 million registered Democrats through mid-May, compared with about 4.48 million in 2008. Democrats added about a half-million voters to their rolls in the two years prior to the 2008 election. Republicans currently have more than 3 million registered voters, compared with 3.2 million in 2008. About 500,000 Pennsylvania voters are unaffiliated. -- Iowa: Republicans have gained ground in the state that launched Obama's presidential bid. GOP registrations increased from about 625,000 voters in 2008 to nearly 640,000 in early May. Democrats, meanwhile, have fallen from about 736,000 voters in 2008 to about 687,000 in May. Nonpartisan voters remain the largest bloc in the Hawkeye State, representing more than 762,000 voters. Democrats' numbers have also fallen in North Carolina, where Obama became the first Democratic nominee to carry the state since 1976, and Nevada, a high-growth state that has been battered by the recession. Several Democratic-friendly cities have not been immune, either. Philadelphia had 880,000 registered Democrats in 2008; that number has fallen below 800,000. Denver, where Democrats held their 2008 convention, had about 200,000 registered Democrats in November 2008 -- that's now down to about 120,000. In Mecklenburg County, N.C., whose county seat, Charlotte, is the site of the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Democrats' numbers have fallen after major gains leading up to the 2008 election. Obama officials said voter registration will be a top priority. Obama adviser David Axelrod said the campaign would "mount a major effort and it's not just about registering new voters but it's also reregistering people who have moved because there is a high degree of transiency among young people and often among minority voters. We want to make sure that not only new voters but people who have moved are registered again." Ben LaBolt, an Obama campaign spokesman, said the president "has demonstrated a consistent ability to reach new voters and voters who don't identify as Democrats, so party affiliation isn't the only factor to evaluate. The campaign's efforts to expand the electorate to new voters and voters with less consistent voting histories was one reason why the president was elected in 2008, and as we continue our organizing efforts it's certainly something we'll take into consideration." Finding new voters has been a longstanding goal of Obama, who ran a successful voter registration drive in Chicago when Bill Clinton sought the White House in 1992. Sixteen years later, Obama's campaign was fueled by a massive grassroots campaign and advocacy groups who registered millions of new voters and then turned them out in record