(The Center Square) – For a second consecutive week, the last before early in-person voting starts, North Carolina’s voter registrations netted more growth among those choosing independence from a party than did the overall total.
Unaffiliated bloc voters grew 110.4% in the most recent seven days, says the State Board of Elections, rising 6,556. The total registrations grew 5,938 to 7,716,695. Democrats are 780 fewer (minus-13.1% of the week’s change) than a week earlier, and Republicans are up 158 (2.7%).
In December and early January, the trend was nominal gains for Republicans, a little less for Democrats, and 7 in 10 choosing unaffiliated.
North Carolinians have been marking ballots in the primaries since absentee requests were mailed out Jan. 12. The 51-day window to vote closes with the primaries March 3. Early in-person voting, during which same-day registration is available, begins Thursday.
Turnout in midterm primaries has been 19.8% four years ago, 14.4% in 2018, 15.8% in 2014 and 14.4% in what would eventually become the historic 2010 cycle. At least 5% of voters chose absentee-by-mail for the November 2024 presidential year election and the November 2022 midterm cycle.
The state is split 39.2% for independents, 30.1% for Republicans and 30% Democrats.
Inside the numbers and the lead-up to the primary is the quest by a candidate near Kerr Lake on the border of Virginia to get voters to renounce their Democratic registration in favor of going unaffiliated. State law allows those unaffiliated to vote in the primary by choice of ballot for a party that is officially recognized.
Pamela Ayscue was a Democrat last summer, switched to Republican in time to file as one for the District 32 seat in the state House of Representatives, and on Jan. 10 used social media to ask for support through voter registration change.
Ayscue is running against former Rep. Frank Sossamon in the Republican primary. Sossamon was unseated in 2024 when Rep. Bryan Cohn, a Democrat, flipped the seat. He’s not running this year; the Democratic primary pits Melissa Elliott against Curtis McRae.
District 32 includes Granville County and the northern part of Vance County inclusive of Henderson, where Ayscue, Sossamon and Elliott reside. McRae is in Oxford.
In Granville County, since Ayscue made her request, total registrations are up 323 – 241 unaffiliated, 102 Republicans, and a loss of 25 Democrats. In Vance County (not all would be District 32), there is net gain of 24 registrations – 57 unaffiliated, and losses of 22 Democrats and 11 Republicans.
While Cohn’s win over Sossamon was by 28 votes in the general election, party primaries haven’t been generated in the last two cycles.
Ayscue is part of a broader coalition of six educators formerly registered as Democrats as recently as last summer trying to win Republican primaries on March 3. The others are Michele Joyner-Dinwiddie trying to win House District 35, Pamela Zanni HD81, Lisa Deaton Koperski HD89, Kelly VanHorn HD105 and Dr. Christopher Wilson HD117.
