Democrats outregister Republicans for 9th Consecutive Registration Cycle; Gain Plurality of voters in Norristown for first time

Voter registration statistics released last week by county Voter Services shows that Democrats continue to register more new voters in Montgomery County than the Republicans, continuing the trend that began five years ago. The latest statistics show that of the 12,126 voters that registered since November 2000, 4,969 (41%) registered Democratic, 4,649 (38%) registered Republican, and the remaining 2,508 (21%) registered Non-Partisan or with a third party.

The numbers reflect the continued disenchantment of Montgomery County citizens with the Republican Party and its stance on issues. In the past year alone (since April 2000), the total number of Republicans in the county decreased by 2%, to an all time low of 52%, while the total number of Democrats increased by 2% to 34%. What once was a 2 to 1 edge in registration has now slipped to 1.5 to 1.

The current numbers also indicate that the Republican contention that Democratic growth is fictional - due to the Motor-Voter law - is groundless. The current numbers reflect registration after inactive voters were purged and show that a majority of those inactive voters, 51% were registered Republicans. Only 33% of the purged voters were Democrats.

Marcel Groen, Chair of the Montgomery County Democratic Committee said, "Clearly, citizens of Montgomery County are searching for a political party that more accurately represents their values and issues. Based on the superb performance of both Al Gore and Joe Hoeffel in the last election, I think they have found their new home in the Democratic Party."

Groen added, "As we see the current Administration implement its anti-environment, anti-worker, and anti-choice agenda, our numbers will continue to grow at an even faster rate."

Particularly noteworthy in the new statistics is the fact that Democrats, for the first time, have surpassed the total number of Republican voters in Norristown: 7,869 Democrats to 7,843 Republicans.