Report suggests ‘ Blue Wave’
October 15,2020-
The California Secretary of State recently announced that as of September 4 some 84.68% of eligible Californians are now registered to vote. Since the same time in 2016 – 60 days before the General Election- almost 3 million more voters registered to vote statewide. The percent of those eligible to vote is the highest on record.In September 2016 it was just shy of 76%.
Enthusiasm to vote this year is clear with the state announcing October 14 that over 1.5 million vote-by-mail ballots have already been returned by California voters. This compares to approximately 150,000 ballots returned at this same point in the 2016 General Election.
In San Luis Obispo County the trend is the same with a record 86% of eligible residents now registered according to the most recent report with data through September 4. By contrast just 71% of those eligible were signed up in 2012 and 76% in 2016.
As for party affiliation this latest report has Democrats in SLO County numbering around 67,000 or 37.5% of the electorate and Republicans numbering 62,500 or 35% of all voters.
That is a spread of 4500 voters favoring Democrats this year although one more 15-day report will be published soon.
The last presidential year vote in 2016 saw a September count of 55,500 Democrats vs 61,000 Republicans in San Luis Obispo County or a spread of around 5500 in favor of Republicans.
So in the past four years there has been a 10,000 vote reversal – a Democratic wave in SLO County.
Back in 2012 – another presidential vote year, there was nearly a 10,000 vote advantage for Republicans in the County. The numbers were about 50,000 Democrats and 59,500 GOP voters.
Adding it up, Democrats in the past 8 years have increased their numbers by around 17,000 voters while the Republicans added 3000.
It might be fair to call this a “blue wave” in what has been historically a GOP bastion. State figures show in the year 2000 the County had 51,472 Democrats and 62,000 Republicans -roughly the number of GOP voters signed up today.
Voters have until October 19 to register.