Secretary of State Provides Update on Party Affiliation Data
Ohio is a bottom-up voter registration state and the Ohio Statewide Voter Registration Database reflects the voter registration records maintained by the 88 county boards of elections. Today the Office of the Ohio Secretary of State updated its Statewide Voter Registration Database to reflect the latest statewide party affiliation information.
Under Ohio law, a voter affiliates for voter registration purposes with a political party by voting in that party’s primary election. A voter is a member of a political party if:
(1) they voted in that party’s primary election within the preceding two calendar years, or (2) they did not vote in any other party’s primary election within the preceding two calendar years.
Likewise, by law, a voter is identified as unaffiliated with a party if they did not vote in a party’s primary election within the preceding two calendar years. Party affiliation numbers as recorded by the county boards of elections fluctuate based upon a number of factors; most prevalently voter participation in primary elections.
According to the county boards of elections’ voter registration and voter history data from 2019-2021, Ohio’s voter affiliation breakdown is currently as follows:
- Number of Registered Voters in Ohio: 7,982,501
- Number of Registered Democrats: 947,027
- Number of Registered Republicans: 836,080
- Number of Registered Libertarians: 2,847
- Number of Unaffiliated Registered Voters: 6,196,547
Ohioans with questions or concerns about their own party affiliation status should contact their county board of elections.
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