Florida voter registration: Republicans still outpace Democrats
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Despite recent party gains, Democrats continue to trail Republicans with active registered voters statewide, a new report by the Miami Herald shows.
Why it matters: The current tally underscores a years-long trend that has reshaped Florida's politics.
- It could also foreshadow local and statewide race outcomes for next month's midterm elections.
Between the lines: The data reviewed by the Herald is based on both active and inactive registered voters from September 2024 to September 2026. (Inactive voters can still vote.)
- It did not include voters who registered in the five weeks before this year's voter registration deadline on Monday, Oct. 5.
State of play: In the last two years, Republicans grew their voter registration lead over Democrats in all 67 counties, amounting to an almost 8 percentage point lead, the Herald reported.
- About 39% of registered voters are Republicans, while Democrats (31%) and not affiliated (27%) make up the rest.
Yes, but: The Dems did notch a win last month, adding about 500 more active voters statewide than Republicans did, the first time that's happened month-to-month in at least five years, the Democratic Party touted.
Caveat: Despite Florida's population increase, there are fewer active registered voters across the state, according to the Division of Elections.
Zoom in: Though Miami-Dade flipped red in recent years, Democrats still have a small lead when looking at both active and inactive voters, accounting for 33.5% of eligible voters as of September.
- That's followed by no party affiliation (32.2%) and Republicans (31.9%), according to the outlet.
- For active voters, Republicans lead with about 35%; Democrats (32%) and no party affiliation (about 30%) follow.
Stunning stat: About 50,000 more Democrats switched parties compared to Republicans in recent years, with about 95,000 voters changing their registration to Republican, per the Herald.
- Just under 40,000 Republicans moved to the Democratic Party.
- However, since 2024, data show that more Democrats (113,700) changed their registration to no party affiliation compared to Republicans (67,000) since September 2024.
What we're watching: The midterm election could signal a possible shift in the state, with some Republicans breaking with President Trump over his mass deportation agenda.
- Meanwhile, Democratic candidates like Senate nominee Angie Nixon have garnered a groundswell of support both inside and outside the state.