Registered Independent Voter Numbers Increase

By Nadine Arroyo Rodriguez
Published: Tuesday, August 19, 2014 - 3:25pm
Updated: Tuesday, August 19, 2014 - 3:26pm
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With Arizona’s primary election just one week away, the number of registered voters has been updated. Today, the Secretary of State’s office is reporting the number of independent voters has risen again.

Voters who do not indicate a party preference or register with parties that are not recognized are classified as “Other” by election officials. They’re also referred to as “independents.” Since March 2014, the number of independent voters has climbed by more than 18,000. The number of registered Democrats dropped by more than 16,000 and Republicans fell by more than 7,000.

“As we’ve seen for years, more and more voters are moving to independent registration or party not designated instead of being identified solely with one party or the other," said Secretary of State Ken Bennett. "And being registered Independent allows them to vote in either party’s primary each time the elections comes up.”

Bennett said another reason for the shift in numbers is county recorders are doing their regular voter roll clean-ups.

Politics