Since the registration deadline passed last week, there are no longer hordes of volunteers on Locust Walk asking you to register to vote. And now the results are in — voter registration in Philadelphia is up slightly from the last presidential election in 2012.
The 27th Ward, which includes Penn, is contributing 22,860 eligible voters this election. Of those, 68 percent are registered Democrats and 9 percent are registered Republicans. Both proportions are lower than those of the city total, which means the proportion of voters registered "Independent" or "Other" is higher. Over 22 percent are registered as Independent or Other in the 27th Ward, compared to the 10.5 percent of the total registered in the city.
This year, at a total of 1,070,713, voter registration in Philadelphia is at its highest since the 1985 presidential primary, according to data released by the City Commissioners' Office. The proportions of registered Democrats to Republicans this year are nearly the same as they have been in recent years, with Democrats making up 78 percent of those registered and Republicans making up about 11 percent.
According to the City Commissioners' website, in 2012, 1,060,313 voters were registered in time for the general election. Of those, about 78 percent were registered as Democrats and about 12 percent were registered as Republicans.
The total registration in 2012 was a slight decrease from the 2008 general election, for which 1,069,885 were registered. That year, nearly 79 percent were registered Democrats and around 13 percent were registered Republicans.
It remains to be seen how voter turnout will compare to years past.
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