‘No party preference’ on the rise

Nearly three out of every four Californians are registered to vote, an increase of nearly 751,000 since 2010 and a reflection of the growing number of voters who decline to state a party preference. The major parties experienced declines in registration.

Of California’s 24 million eligible voters, about 17.7 million actually have registered, or about 73.41 percent, according to the secretary of state’s office. The figures reflect registration through Dec. 31, 2013.

The partisan divide remained strongly Democratic, with Democratic registration at 43.6 percent and Republicans at 28.7 percent.

But both major parties suffered declines in their share of registrants, while those with no party preference increased.

Democrats were down a percentage point from 44.6 percent in 2010, while Republican registration declined by nearly 2 percent, from 30.8 percent to 28.7 percent.

But registrations for no party preference, or NPP, rose to 20.9 percent, up from 20.2 percent in 2010. The rise in NPP registrations continues a steady trend, with more than a fifth of the electorate decline to affiliate with a political party. Just over a decade ago, NPP registrations were 14.5 percent.

About 6.8 percent of the electorate reported an affiliation with parties other than the Democrats or Republicans. The minor parties included the American Independent, Green, Peace and Freedom, American Elect and Libertarian.

The highest Democratic registration, county by county, was reported in San Francisco, with 56.41 percent, followed by Alameda, Santa Cruz, Marin and Sonoma. The top GOP registration was in Modoc, at 49.14 percent, followed by Lassen, Placer, Shasta, and Tulare.