(The Center Square) – Voter registrations that do not affiliate with any of three approved parties in North Carolina managed 94% of all changes for the most recent seven days updated.
Significant as that is, in three of the previous five weeks the unaffiliated bloc grew larger than the overall total each week.
In the Saturday numbers delayed by an internal update from the State Board of Elections, Democrats gained 58 registrations, Republicans 97 and those unaffiliated 3,061. The Libertarian Party, the only other with status, gained 21.
In the past nine weeks, the total registrations have gone up 39,806. The shares are an increase of 39,940 for independents, an increase of 305 for Republicans, an increase of 101 for Libertarians, and a loss of 645 for Democrats.
North Carolina’s 7,775,137 registrations are split 39.7% unaffiliated (3,084,640), 29.9% Republicans (2,325,222), 29.8% Democrats (2,314,281) and one-half of 1% Libertarians (46,376).
For the 2026 midterms on Nov. 3, absentee ballots go into the mail Sept. 4 – or 13 weeks from Friday. North Carolinians will choose a U.S. senator, all 14 members of the U.S. House, and all 170 members of the General Assembly.
For context in the change of landscape, at what is generally considered a landmark Election Day in 2008, the state’s total registrations were 6,264,733. Those unaffiliated numbered just under 1.4 million (22.2%) while Democrats’ 2,866,669 had 45.8% share and Republicans’ 2,002,416 was a 32% share. Barack Obama became the first Democrat since Jimmy Carter in 1976 to carry the state, by a mere 14,177 votes of more than 4.3 million cast, on the way to winning the White House.
The state’s lone U.S. Senate seat was won by Democrat Kay Hagan, and the 13 U.S. House seats were divvied up eight Democrats and five Republicans.
The Council of State went 8-2 to Democrats. Incumbent Republicans’ Steve Troxler and Cherie Berry remained commissioners of agriculture and labor, respectively. And the General Assembly was 30-20 Democrats in the Senate and 68-52 Democrats in the House of Representatives.
Today, Republicans have won the state in the presidential race 13 of the last 15 contests (1968-present), five consecutive U.S. Senate races (2010-present), and two years ago captured 10 of 14 seats for the U.S. House.
The Council of State is a 5-5 split. On Election Day 2024, the General Assembly majorities were 30-20 Republicans in the Senate and 71-49 Republicans in the House of Representatives.
