Voter registration trend unchanged at traditional summer’s end

(The Center Square) – Voter registration gains by the bloc of those unaffiliated in North Carolina is more than six times greater than both the Republican and Democratic parties for the traditional 15 weeks of summer.

In Saturday’s update from the State Board of Elections, at 430 days from the 2026 midterms, the voter registration difference is down to 15,157 between Democrats and Republicans. The unaffiliated bloc continues to swell in share, now at 38.5% – the highest for any bloc since Democrats were there during the first two years of Roy Cooper’s governorship.

From the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend to the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, Republicans gained 9,514 registrations and Democrats 2,459. Unaffiliated rose 74,788.

The state has 7,592,738 registrations, with more than 2.9 million (38.5%) independent, more than 2.3 million (30.5%) Democrats, and nearly 2.3 million (30.3%) Republicans.

North Carolina is considered a legitimate battleground state on the national level, purple in hue rather than blue for Democrats or red for Republicans. Long the place where Democrats have done well, as recently as the 2008 midterms the state’s 10 executive offices, known as the Council of State, had eight of 10 seats blue, and Democrats had majorities of 30-20 in the state Senate and 68-52 in the House of Representatives.

Three decades ago at Electon Day 1992, North Carolinians elected Democrats to all 10 Council of State positions and majorities of 39-11 in the state Senate and 78-42 in the House.

Today, the Council of State is 5-5, and Republican majorities are 30-20 in the Senate and 71-49 in the House.