Party affiliation continues to swing Democratic

More Republicans than Democrats have recently changed parties, while more voters are also registering as Democrats, according to the Voter Registration Division of the Maryland Board of Elections.

"We have been registering new Democrats at local parades and county fairs, which has helped us," said David Paulson, communications director of the Maryland Democratic Party. "The message really starts from and reflects the national mood, as our focus has revolved around replacing George Bush with a Democrat in the White House. This resonates with Maryland voters."

Monday, Nov. 19, was the deadline for registered voters in Maryland to change their party affiliation before the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries, which are scheduled for Feb. 12.

In October, state-wide, 898 Republicans changed parties, compared to 840 for the Democrats. In September, the gap was wider, as 825 Democrats changed party affiliation, compared to 1,009 Republicans.

If those numbers don't reflect huge disparities, the Democrats did bulk up their new registration numbers substantially, particularly in the cities.

In October, in Baltimore, 1,039 new voters registered as Democrats, compared to 198 Republicans. In Baltimore County, 1,183 new Democrats registered, as opposed to 474 new Republicans. To be fair, in both areas, more Democrats were removed from registration, due in large part to county relocation. In October, for example, 420 Democrats were removed from the polls in Baltimore City, while only 77 Republicans were removed.

State-wide, in October, 7,264 Democrats registered, while 3,298 Republicans registered. Of those removed, 5,808 were Democrats, and 3,182 were Republicans.

Maryland Republicans remain confident that they can recruit new blood.

"The special session and the tax increases that came from it have allowed us to reach out to new Republican voters," said Kate Boland, co-chair of the Maryland Republican Party’s red, white and blue voter registration campaign. Boland also cited Republican efforts to register voters at local parades and other community functions.

But the GOP faces a tough battle if it wants to pull even with the opposition.

In total, at the conclusion of October, there were 1,719,153 registered Democrats in the state, and 883,665 registered Republicans. Another 502,565 voters are registered in the state, the vast majority being unaffiliated. Of those registered Democrats or Republicans in the state, Prince George's County proves vital, as 329,453 Democrats are registered, compared to 47,384 registered Republicans. Carroll County, meanwhile, is a Republican stronghold, as 51,274 Republicans are registered, compared to 32,262 Democrats.