Independent voters continue to grow in latest voter registration numbers

NEWS RELEASE         

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:        Jan. 15, 2016

CONTACT:    State Election Board PIO Bryan Dean, (405) 522-6624 bdean@elections.ok.gov

Independent voters continue to grow in latest voter registration numbers

(Oklahoma City) – Official voter registration statistics released Friday show Independents are the fastest growing segment of the state’s electorate, State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax said.

Oklahoma’s official voter registration statistics are counted every year on January 15. Today’s count showed 1,978,807 registered voters as of Jan. 15, 2016.

Historical trends have continued as the Republican and Independent share of voter registration increased while the percentage of Democrats decreased. The number of Republican voters went up by about 3 percent from 2014 to 2016, a net increase of about 26,000 voters. The number of Democrats fell by 6 percent, a net loss of 53,000 voters from 2014. Independents, meanwhile, had a net increase of 28,000 voters in that period.

“What really stands out when you look at these numbers is the growth in Independent voters,” Ziriax said. “The number of Independents grew by about 11.6 percent in the past two years.”

Oklahoma’s registered voters:

                                                JAN. 15, 2016

DEMOCRATS                       832,059….42%

REPUBLICANS                   880,130….44.5%

AMERICANS ELECT                    13….N/A

INDEPENDENTS                266,605….13.5%

TOTAL                                  1,978,807       

HISTORICAL VOTER REGISTRATION IN OKLAHOMA

The State Election Board began recording statewide voter registration statistics by party in 1960.

YEAR                         DEM                      REP                        IND                    

1960                            82.0%                    17.6%                    0.4%                     

1980                            75.8%                    22.8%                    1.4%                    

2000*                          56.7%                    35.0%                    8.3%                    

JAN. 15, 2016*              42%                    44.5%                   13.5%                  

*Minor parties accounted for less than 1 percent of voters in 2000 and 2016

View voter registration statistics or download a voter registration application: http://elections.ok.gov.

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