Independent registrations continue positive trend

(The Center Square) – As voter roll maintenance continues and Thursday’s change to a Republican majority on the North Carolina State Board of Elections took hold, the rise in unaffiliated registrations remains dominant in trend both present and over the last two decades.

Republicans are positive but significantly behind the independent bloc. Democrats, comparatively, are arguably in free fall.

The state board composition changed with the May 1 implementation of a law carved out in December, changing appointment authority from the governor to the state auditor. Three Republicans were sworn in on Wednesday, and the executive director leadership changed.

County board changes will be forthcoming. The changes are separate of state statute law requiring regular voter roll maintenance that was already in progress and will continue.

Registrations climbed to 7,516,444 with Saturday’s update from the state board. The breakdown is more than 2.8 million unaffiliated (37.7%), more than 2.3 million Democrats (30.7%) and less than 15,000 from 2.3 million for Republicans (30.4%).

The difference for Republicans to pull even with Democrats is 23,405. On Jan. 1, 2004, that separation was 659,367; Democrats to unaffiliated then was more than 1.5 million.

Since Election Day, total registrations have decreased 323,467. The breakdown is 123,567 for unaffiliated; 142,899 for Democrats; and 60,629 for Republicans.

Since Jan. 1, 2004, total registrations are up more than 2.4 million for the nation’s ninth largest state of an estimated 11 million population. Of those, 78.1% are unaffiliated (1,943,876) and 22.2% are Republicans (553,654). Democrats are down 82,308 in that time.

Of the more than 2.4 million increase over the last two decades, unaffiliated registrations are up 218% and Republicans are up 32%; Democrats are down 3.4%.