Fewer residents of North Carolina’s westernmost counties are registering as Democrats than four years ago, according to a recent WFAE report.
Republicans and unaffiliated voter registrations are growing in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain Counties, according to the report. There are 5 percent fewer Democrats across the state, and about that many more Republican voters registered.
Unaffiliated voters who can vote in either primary increased as well. The report notes that there are 18.5 percent fewer Democrats in the seven westernmost counties, 13 percent more unaffiliated voters and 10 percent more are registered to vote as Republicans.
NPR contributor Matt Bush told Smoky Mountain News writer Cory Vaillancourt that the change in the voter makeup might make it easier for North Carolina to remain a red state. He also said that the new district map for the 11th Congressional District shows a 5- to 8-percent edge for Republicans.
"You're looking at double-digit Democratic losses in all [of those counties] and double-digit Republican growth in all of them," Bush said. "Probably the most extreme case of all of them is Cherokee County, at the very tip of the state, which has lost 35 percent of its registered Democrats in the last four years. Clay County wasn't far behind at 27 percent and Graham lost 28 percent. Even Haywood County, the largest, lost 17 percent of its registered Democrats. We've also seen Republican growth of 14 percent [overall in these counties], so we're talking about a 30 percent registration swing."
Bush says that for those who left the Democratic party in favor of an unaffiliated registration, he could see fewer choosing to vote for Democratic candidates when election day arrives.
“If 100 Democrats leave the party to become unaffiliated, then maybe 70 or 80 still vote Democrat frequently," he said. "But with registered Democrats, that number is probably closer to 90 or 95.”
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