Unaffiliated voters are now the largest political “party” in North Carolina

By the numbers: There are 2,503,997 registered unaffiliated voters in the state, compared to 2,496,434 registered Democrats and just under 2.2 million registered Republicans.

Why it matters: It’s another sign of how the state’s demographic shifts are reshaping its politics. Young people and newcomers are more likely to register as unaffiliated, says Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University.

Data: NC State Board of Elections; Chart: Baidi Wang/Axios

Between the lines: In Mecklenburg County, Democratic voters are still the majority, but unaffiliated voters are catching up.

• There are more than 333,000 registered Democrats in the county, around 162,000 registered Republicans and more than 285,000 unaffiliated voters.
• But Cooper expects unaffiliated voters will soon overtake Democrats in Democratic-leaning places like Mecklenburg County and the Triangle.

Just outside of Charlotte, fast-changing Cabarrus County is one of 17 counties statewide where unaffiliated voters are the largest group, per Cooper’s analysis of the state data.

• There are a little over 54,000 unaffiliated voters there, compared to more than 51,000 registered Republicans and around 44,000 Democratic voters.

Of note: Unaffiliated voters in North Carolina can choose which primary election to vote in.

The bottom line: It’s harder to predict elections in our already-purple state when an increasing number of voters are unaffiliated, Cooper says. And it could make it difficult for political parties to recruit candidates and volunteers.

• “That gritty work of democracy is going to be harder if the political party membership is anemic,” he says.