On March 19, the California Secretary of State released a new registration tally, the first since October 2020. See it here. Percentages are: Democratic 46.17%; Republican 24.14%; American Independent 3.07%; Libertarian .92%; Peace & Freedom .48%; Green .39%; unknown .56%; independent and miscellaneous 24.28%.
In October 2020, the percentages were: Democratic 46.13%; Republican 24.19%; American Independent 2.93%; Libertarian .89%; Peace & Freedom .47%; Green .38%; unknown .50%; independent and miscellaneous 24.51%.
The new tally measures voter registration as it was in February 2021. The Peoples Party had asked to have its registration tallied only ten days before the date of the new tally, so it has its first total, but it is very low because it had just got started. The new report shows that the Peoples Party has 332 registrants. It needs approximately 73,000 registrants to become qualified. The Common Sense Party has 8,222; the American Solidarity Party has 117; the California National Party has 425.
Should that read “The new tally measures voter registration as it was in February *2021*”?
yes, thank you. I have fixed the error.
Does party registration help a party retain ballot access?
Yes, it does help a party get on and stay on the ballot in California.
Being a NON-Donkey in 2021 RED commie CA is like being a Jew in Germany in 1939.
All targets on a big PURGE list.
@TJ,
In California, there is no reason for ballot access based on number of registered voters. Candidates for political office may have their party preference as they have expressed on their affidavit of voter registration appear on the ballot. It is unconstitutional restrict speech to government-approved orthodoxy.
Libertarians above 200k in California for the first time.
LP of California ought to launch s big outreach effort to get registered Libertarians to become dues paying members. Even just getting a small percentage of registered Libertarians to join could make the LP of CA several times larger than it is. Over 204,000 registered Libertarians is a large pool from which to draw in new members.
@Andy, I agree. If I were back in California I would push for that outreach effort.
That also puts the LP over 700,000 nationally.
@ Andy
The ratio of national party Active Members to Signature Members has been about 12% (+/- 2%) since the last of the Unified Membership Program donors rolled off the count in September 2006. Closer to 14% in 2020, 2016, and 2008. Closer to 10% in 2019, 2017, and 2015. Basically 12% the rest of the time.
The ratio of Active Members to Signature Members has been pretty constant, though. So if we want to increase donors, I would think the way to do it is to grow Signature Members. And while LP voter registrations went parabolic between 2006 and 2016 (and even the growth in 2018 and 2020 was quite high, although the parabolic trend was broken), Signature Membership growth has basically been linear. And linear at a much lower level. Like 2.36% compound annual growth growth for Signature Membership compared to 9.08% compound annual growth in voter registrations.
The ratio of Signature Members to registered voters was 46.6% in 2008. It has declined by 3% – 5% in every two year period since then. It was only 21.7% in 2020.
The question is, how much of that is inevitable? With a small party, only the most dedicated people are involved and they are more likely to be donors. As the party grows, it picks up more marginal members who are less likely to donate.
I think a nationwide outreach to registered voters is a good idea, though. Maybe closer to the mid-term elections would be better (or even late 2023, as the Presidential election heats up), but the panning could begin now.