Flagler Voter Registration - 20 Year Review
Today our voter registration total reached a new record high. There are over 86,000 registered voters in Flagler County. Did you realize that the number of citizens registered to vote in Flagler has increased by 55,500 since 2009? Twenty years ago, the voter registration total in Flagler was only 30,418. Today that number is exactly 86,008 registered voters.
Over the past twenty years, voter registration in Flagler County has steadily increased, despite economic conditions during 2007-2009 and our regular list maintenance programs. Voter list maintenance activities are conducted in accordance with state and federal laws to identify changes in a voter's residence address or eligibility. We conduct regular list maintenance in order to keep voter records current and accurate. Removal reasons include: deceased, moved out of state, felony conviction without restoration of voting rights, removal requested by voter, etc.
Just over 2,500 voters moved to Flagler County this year (since December 2018). When people move, we receive voter registration applications from Florida's online voter registration system, the DMV (driver's license offices), libraries or when persons apply to register to vote at the Elections Office in Bunnell.
Our current voter registration trends indicate that the number of registered voters increases by an average of 27,000 every ten years (or 2,700 per year). If our registration average continues, we will reach over 100,000 registered voters in the next five years.
With the increase in voter registration, party affiliation totals have also shifted over time. Our current breakdown of party affiliation totals are as follows:
- Republicans: 35,905
- Democrats: 26,293
- No Party Affiliation or Minor Party: 23,810
The total number of voters registered with No Party Affiliation (NPA) has averaged just over 27% over the past four election cycles. The current number of registered NPA's is 26.7% of the total and continues to follow along that trend as we head into the 2020 election cycle. Many NPA voters choose a party before a Primary election in order to vote a partisan ballot, then change their registration back to NPA after the election. The number of NPA voters is expected to decrease at least slightly as we approach the Presidential Preference Primary in March 2020. Our total of NPA voters follows the statewide percent of around 28% registered with no party.
What does Flagler's party registration look like over time? As the total number of registered voters increases, so do the differences between party affiliated voters. Historically, there have been more registered Republicans in Flagler than Democrats. However, there were more registered Democrats in Flagler than Republicans in 2008 - 2010. Party registration totals are much different today than they have been at any other time over the past 20 years.
Florida has close elections. As we head into a Presidential election year, keep in mind that elections for Governor and President have been within a 3% margin statewide, since 2010. With three statewide recounts in 2018 (three statewide offices with less than one-half percent margin), you can expect close elections again next year. Florida is the largest swing state and our electorate is the most diverse in the nation. Every election is important! Your vote is your voice.
3841