RismadarVoice Reporters
October 2, 2026
Democrats have begun recovering some of the voter-registration ground lost to Republicans following the 2024 United States presidential election, according to an analysis of voter-file data from seven politically competitive states.
The analysis examined registration trends in Arizona, Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Republicans increased their registration advantage over Democrats across all seven states between late 2024 and late 2025.
However, the trend shifted in several states between the end of 2025 and mid-2026, with Democrats recording net registration gains relative to Republicans in Arizona, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
In New Hampshire and North Carolina, Democrats did not reverse the earlier losses but slowed the rate at which their registration position was declining.
The figures do not necessarily indicate how registered voters will cast their ballots. Party registration can change because of new registrations, voters switching affiliations and names being removed from voter rolls because of relocation, routine list maintenance or deaths.
The changes nevertheless provide a measure of how the two major parties’ registered voter bases have developed ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Pennsylvania recorded one of the largest shifts.
Republicans gained more than 110,000 net registrants relative to Democrats between late 2024 and late 2025. During the subsequent period, however, Democrats gained about 46,000 net registrants relative to Republicans.
The analysis indicated that newly registered voters played an important role in the Democratic improvement. Democrats recorded a net advantage of about 45,000 among new registrations during the more recent period, while party switches contributed roughly another 11,000.
Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman Eugene DePasquale attributed part of the improvement to expanded voter-registration efforts launched after he assumed the position in September 2025.
North Carolina showed a different pattern, with Republicans moving ahead of Democrats in party registration for the first time.
Republicans gained nearly 100,000 net registrants relative to Democrats between late 2024 and late 2025. Democrats subsequently limited their relative net losses to about 16,000 between late 2025 and September 2026.
Felice Pete, a Republican National Committee member from North Carolina, attributed Republican gains partly to increased grassroots organising by conservative groups.
The data also showed Democrats making gains among newly registered voters in the state. Republicans held a net advantage of about 11,000 among new registrants during the earlier period, while Democrats recorded an advantage of roughly 6,000 during the latest period examined.
Another notable trend was the continued growth of voters not formally affiliated with either major party.
The share of unaffiliated voters or those registered with other parties increased in Arizona, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Pennsylvania between late 2024 and mid-2026, while Maine and New Jersey recorded slight declines in that category.
The analysis also indicated that many voters leaving the Democratic Party registered as unaffiliated rather than switching directly to the Republican Party.
Thirty states and Washington, D.C., register voters by political party, while states including Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin do not.
The registration figures provide a snapshot of changes in party affiliation but, on their own, do not establish how voters will behave in the midterm elections.
