BEND, Oregon (AP) - Deschutes County is seeing a shift in voter demographics, with Democrats gaining ground on Republicans as the county’s population grows.
The gap between the number of voters registered as Republicans in the county and those registered as Democrats has narrowed in recent years by nearly half.
There are currently 36,295 Republicans and 30,876 Democrats registered to vote in the county, new data obtained by The Bend Bulletin https://bit.ly/1fWwuB1 from the county clerk’s office shows - a difference of 5,419 voters. In 2006, Republicans held an 8,619 voter edge.
The number of non-affiliated voters, on the other hand, has ballooned. It increased by 47 percent since 2006, to 31,592 unaffiliated voters this year.
“That’s part of a larger national trend, the decline of party loyalty,” James Foster, an Oregon State University-Cascades Campus political science professor who previously chaired the political science department at OSU’s Corvallis campus.
Another reason for the shift is population growth: Deschutes County has one of the fastest-growing populations in the state. The high desert climate has especially attracted retirees and young people enjoying outdoor recreation.
Experts say the city of Bend in particular has brought people from all over the country, and those newcomers have less conservative views.
“The area really draws bigger, more diverse populations” than it did when he moved to Bend in 1988, said John Philo, chairman of the Deschutes County Republican Party. “It’s drawn people from all over the country . That might skew things a little bit when people are coming from so many diverse areas.”
The 2008 presidential election also may still be affecting registration numbers.
Bringing unaffiliated voters to either side of the party aisle could decide future elections in the region.
“I think on both camps, whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, you have to look at those numbers and really have to consider what your party is about and how you attract these (unaffiliated) voters,” Philo said. “I think there’s a lot of soul-searching we all have to do when we look at it.”
___
Information from: The Bulletin, https://www.bendbulletin.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.