Capitol Weekly on Registration

It's amazing how people can look at the same registration numbers and still decide they see what they want. Capitol Weekly weighs in:

The voter-registration figures from the secretary of state’s office contain little comfort for Democrats and even less for Republicans: Democratic registration remains stalled at 43.5 percent, where it has been stuck for the past four years, while Republicans have dropped to 30.3 percent, reflecting a steady and inexorable slide over the past 16 years.

Democratic registration hasn't been stalled at 43.5% for four years. Four years ago it was 44.4%. Last year it was 44.0%. Republican registration hasn't been on a steady slide for 16 years. It was 34.9% in 2000, 35.1% in 2002, and 35.1% in 2004.

Both parties have lost registrants – in 1996, Democrats approached nearly half the electorate and Republicans stood at nearly 37 percent. But as the numbers of both wither, Democrats have topped the GOP by 10 percent or more since the 1990s with the exception of 2004.

Actually the registration gap was less than 10% from 2002-2007. This was the only time since the 1930s it was under 10%. In the 1970s the gap was over 20%.