(The Center Square) – Net reduction in North Carolina voter registrations since Election Day is smallest for Republicans, says analysis by The Center Square.
Periodic voter registration list maintenance happens regularly, including what is often called the no-contact process in odd-numbered years. The process is ongoing, with notices to have gone out by April 15. Other routine maintenance happening regularly includes actions like removing names of voters who have died.
North Carolina had 7,834,911 registered on Nov. 5, according to the State Board of Elections. Through Saturday’s update, a net change of 320,885 dropped the total to 7,514,026.
Republicans’ net loss in that time is 61,250, or about 14.1% of the total reduction. Registrations for Democrats are 44.3% of the change and the unaffiliated bloc 39.3%.
That is a different trend than the past four weeks, when the voter rolls have risen by 17,298. That increase includes 11,786 unaffiliated, or 68.1% of the additions. The Republican base is up 3,478, or 20.1%; and Democrats up 1,773, or 10.2%.
North Carolina was once a stronghold for Democrats across all statewide and federal elections. Republican wins were few. Today, the state is considered a battleground and purple, with urban areas favoring Democrats and rural Republicans.
Only Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Barack Obama in 2008 have posted wins for Democrats in presidential races in the last 60 years. Only three men not registered as Democrats have won gubernatorial races since 1900. The state’s 10 executive offices, called the Council of State, has five Democrats and five Republicans; three seats flipped on Nov. 5, changing a 6-4 advantage for the Grand Old Party.
Through Saturday, the state’s more than 7.5 million voters remain nearly in thirds. The unaffiliated bloc is up to 37.7%, Democrats 30.8% and Republicans 30.4%. Only 24,786 registrations separate the two major parties although both continue to drop further behind those signing up without affiliation.
As recently as Election Day 2012, Democrats were more than 800,000 registrations ahead of Republicans. Obama won reelection that day despite losing the state to former Massachusetts Republican Gov. Mitt Romney.
