(The Center Square) – Taking 64.8% of registrations during a light holiday week, the unaffiliated bloc in North Carolina grew in advantage over Democrats and Republicans to more than 656,000 each.
Of the state’s more than 7.6 million voter registrations, 38.8% are not choosing any of the lawful parties with which to register – Green and Libertarian are the others, each with less than 1%. Democrats gained 290 voters, have a 30.3% share and are a mere 604 ahead of Republicans.
The Grand Old Party picked up 339 voters and has a 30.2% share.
The unaffiliated bloc – gaining 1,882 registrations in the period ending Saturday – is 656,344 more than Democrats, and 656,948 more than Republicans. Of the total net registrations for the past week, 18% went to Republicans and 15.4% to Democrats.
Democrats in March 2022 were surpassed by the number choosing no party; Republicans were surpassed in September 2017.
Total voter registrations eclipsed 7.8 million on Election Day 2024; routine maintenance throughout the year is a key contributing factor to the volume changes. This fall was an off-year election cycle, when 91 of 100 counties had municipal races.
A mere 16 years ago Democrats were in eight of 10 seats for the Council of State and commanded 30-20 and 68-52 majorities in the General Assembly. Then came the historic 2010 midterms, and both chambers being won by Republicans for the first time since Reconstruction 140 years earlier.
Today those figures are 5-5 in the executive offices, and Republicans hold advantages of 30-20 in the Senate and 71-49 in the House of Representatives.
For context on how Democrats once had a lock, from the every two years elections of 1930 to 1982 the party was below 43 of the 50 state Senate seats just twice (won 38 in 1969, won 35 in 1973) and didn’t have fewer than 30 until only getting 26 in the 1994 cycle. From 1930 to 1982 in the House, Democrats had fewer than 102 of the 120 just six times with 85 won in 1974 the worst.
Three decades ago at Election 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.
