Pennsylvania automatic voter registration boosts sign-ups, but not a political party, data shows

[FakeNoose]

AP News link: https://apnews.com/article/automatic-voter-registration-pennsylvania-shapiro-trump-biden-b9f085aeeec09181e37ae13e12d43ecc

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — New data from automatic voter registration at Pennsylvania driver’s license centers shows that sign-ups have grown, remain almost evenly divided between the political parties and do not significantly favor one party over another in the presidential battleground state.

The latest data, published Wednesday by Pennsylvania’s elections office, tallies just over four months of new voter registrations since Gov. Josh Shapiro announced the change in September to make it easier for people to register and for counties to manage voter rolls. It shows about a 45% increase in sign-ups at driver’s license centers compared with those during a similar period two years ago.

It also shows little change in the partisan mix of those registering under the new system, despite accusations by Donald Trump that Democrats would use it to “steal Pennsylvania.” If anything, the new automatic voter registration system — which is the subject of a lawsuit by Republican lawmakers — has favored the GOP.

Of about 47,300 new voter registrations, 35% chose independent or a third party, 34% opted for Republican and 31% went with Democratic, according to the data. By comparison, during a similar period two years ago, there were about 32,500 new voter registrations, with a breakdown of 35.5% Democratic, 34% independent or a third party and 30.5% Republican.

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As we know, the Dems of Pennsylvania must continue to woo the independent non-affiliated voters, who are ALWAYS the lynchpin to any victory in our state. In 1972 I became a first-time voter and I registered as an independent and stayed that way for 35 years. Finally in 2008 I registered as a Democrat because I wanted to vote for Hillary Clinton in the primary election. Never in all those years did I ever voted for a Repuke for President. Independent voters are an important factor in our elections, especially in swing-states such as Pennsylvania.