OK voter registration surges, Democrats drop below 40%

Oklahoma’s voter registration surges past 2004, 2012 presidential election numbers

(Oklahoma City) – Oklahoma’s official pre-election voter registration statistics released on Nov. 1 show 2,157,450 Oklahomans are registered to vote in advance of the Nov. 8 General Election, State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax reported on Tuesday.

The statistics represent a net increase of more than 40,000 voters over the 2012 presidential election. The total was also higher than the official count before the 2004 election. Registration numbers did not reach the level set before the 2000 and 2008 presidential elections.

Since Jan. 15, Oklahoma has had a net gain of 178,643 voters. The biggest net beneficiary of the increases was the Republican Party, which added 103,802 voters. Independents added 46,586 voters, while Democrats saw in increase of 24,658 and Libertarians added 3,599. The Libertarian Party became recognized in Oklahoma earlier this year.

Republicans are growing the fastest in terms of raw numbers and share of the electorate, extending their lead as the state’s largest party. Republicans now make up 45.6 percent of all voters. Republicans first became the largest party in the state following the 2014 General Election. Independents, meanwhile, remain the fastest growing portion of the electorate, with registration among Independents rising at a rate of 17.5 percent since January.

Although the number of Democrats in the state grew over the year, the party’s share of the electorate continued to decline, a trend that has been consistent over several decades. Democrats were officially the state’s largest party from statehood until January 2015.

Americans Elect, a political organization that gained recognition in 2012 but failed to field any candidates, had 11 voters as of Nov. 1. The group will cease to exist after this year.

Oklahoma’s registered voters:

                                    JAN. 15, 2016                                     NOV. 1, 2016

REPUBLICANS                   880,130….44.5%                     983,932….45.6%

DEMOCRATS                      832,059….42.0%                     856,717….39.7%

LIBERTARIAN                                       N/A                           3,599…...0.2%

AMERICANS ELECT                   13…..N/A                               11…….N/A

INDEPENDENTS                 266,605….13.5%                    313,191….14.5%

TOTAL                                  1,978,807                                 2,157,450      



HISTORICAL VOTER REGISTRATION IN OKLAHOMA

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

YEAR                    DEM                      REP                      IND                       OTHER/LIB

1960                       82.0%                    17.6%                    0.4%                      N/A

1980                       75.8%                    22.8%                    1.4%                      N/A

2000                       56.7%                    35.0%                    8.3%                        *

NOV. 1                  39.7%                    45.6%                    14.5%                     0.2%
*Registration for minor recognized parties or political organization was less than 0.0001%.

To view historical voter registration statistics or to obtain a voter registration application, visit http://elections.ok.gov.