DENVER—More Colorado voters are choosing a party, putting a stop to the state’s steady rise in unaffiliated voters.
The Denver Post reports ( ) that the Republican Party appears to be the beneficiary this summer of the slight uptick in party affiliation.
According to state voting reports, Republicans in August made up 37 percent of the state voters, while Democrats were at 33 percent. Unaffiliated voters dropped to 29 percent.
In 2010, unaffiliated voters were 31 percent of the electorate. Republicans were 35 percent, and Democrats were the same at 33 percent.
The newspaper reports that Republican registration in Colorado has been on the rise since 2008.
Republican political analyst Katy Atkinson told the newspaper that different variables contribute to the fluctuation in numbers of registered voters. She cited the GOP upswing and said it’s clear there is some “voter disenchantment with Democrats” in Colorado.
In a recent Pew Research Center poll, independent voters nationally are divided over their preference in the 2012 general election.
As many as 38 percent say they would like to see President Barack Obama re-elected, and 36 percent say they would prefer a Republican.
“It’s very early for an independent to start thinking about an election that is more than a year off,” said Michael Dimock, an associate director at the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. “One of the traits of an independent voter is that they’re not as politically engaged as other folks. Their views of an election are likely to change a lot between now and next year.”
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Information from: The Denver Post,
