Decline to state voters edge past Republicans in California

May 31, 2018

Ahead of next week’s primary election, independent voters have reportedly surpassed Republicans as the second largest voting bloc in California. [Cal Coast Times]

As of the close of voter registration 15 days before the June primary, there are 4,844,803 no-party-preference voters in California, while 4,771,984 voters are registered Republican, according to Political Data Inc. Both independents and Republicans represent about 25 percent of the state’s electorate.

Democrats total 8,436,493 voters, or about 44.4 percent of California’s electorate. While the Democratic Party currently dominates state politics, there has been a sustained trend for years in California in which voters have been dropping party affiliation.

Political Data Inc. regularly collects voter files from county registrars and maintains and updated database of California’s 19 million voters. The Secretary of State’s Office has yet to confirm the voter registration figures and plans to release its own count on Friday.

Paul Mitchell, the vice president of Political Data Inc., noted that despite their declining voter registration numbers, Republicans maintain a larger influence because they vote more consistently than Democrats and independents.

In San Luis Obispo County, Republicans still have an advantage with 60,646 registered voters with Democrats at their heals with 58,074 registered voters. Locally, only 37,521 registered voters are listed as decline to state.

The California Republican Party released a statement saying it is not surprised that independent voters have surpassed Republicans in registration.

“No party preference doesn’t mean voters are becoming Democrats, and we will continue to reach out to all voters. The rise in NPP suggests that voters are fed up with the status quo in California, which, by any objective measure, is Democrat control of Sacramento.”