(The Center Square) – Voter registrations for North Carolina Democrats ended a nine-week run of nominal gains, the unaffiliated bloc captured 95.9% of a more than 5,000 increase last week, and the quest to have voters change affiliation to help a former Democrat win a Republican primary isn’t moving much.
Before the previous nine weeks, the choice of registrations for Democrats had fallen each week since August. The gains were minimal, and this past week the party had a loss of 528 – or minus-10.6% of the state’s 5,002 net gain, according to the State Board of Elections.
The unaffiliated bloc gained 4,799 (95.9%) and the Republicans 665 (13.3%).
Overall, the state’s more than 7.7 million voters are split 39.1% unaffiliated (3,011,681), 30.2% Republicans (2,325,457) and 30.1% Democrats (2,318,232).
Inside the numbers, and the lead-up to Super Tuesday, 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 asked for support through voter registration change. Voter deadline is Feb. 6.
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, the past week had a net gain of 24 registrations – 27 unaffiliated, seven Republicans, and a loss of nine Democrats. In Vance County (not all would be District 32), there was net gain of seven registrations – 16 unaffiliated, and losses of seven Democrats and two Republicans.
In the two weeks of reports since Ayscue sought voters’ party changes, Democrats are a net add of 10 in Granville County and net loss of 13 in Vance County.
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.
