Professor Michael P. McDonald of George Mason University, one of the nation’s leading experts on voter registration data, has calculated that since November 2008, the number of registered voters in the states that have registration by party has declined 2.6%. This is not surprising, because elections officials customarily work between elections to purge the lists of deadwood. See his summary here.

McDonald has also calculated that since November 2008, the number of registered Republicans has declined 3.5%, the number of registered Democrats has declined 2.7%, the number of registered independents has declined 1.6%, and the number of voters registered in minor parties has increased 2.4%. McDonald also notes that research has shown that voters who are registered in minor parties are more sophisticated and more politically active than average voters. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.

On May 11, Florida Governor Charlie Crist said he will change his voter registration from “Republican” to “independent” on Wednesday, May 12. There is no election law-related need for him to do this, even though he qualified as an independent candidate for U.S. Senate back on April 29. The only significance is the political message the change sends. Thanks to Aaron Deslatte for this news.

Ray Boyd is attempting to become the first independent candidate for Governor of Georgia since 1942. He needs a petition signed by 44,089 voters by July 13. Back in 1942, independent candidates didn’t need any signatures, but the law requiring a difficult petition was passed in 1943.

Boyd is now trying to put his petition form on the internet, so that his supporters can print it and begin using it. However, the Georgia petition form is a state form. It has place for 20 signatures, some on the front side and some on the back side. The back side also has a place for each sheet to be notarized. It is 8.5 inches by 14 inches.

Boyd recently asked the Secretary of State if he could redesign the petition form so that it is 8.5 inches by 11 inches, and is just a one-sided form. IF those changes were made, it would far easier for most home printers to print out the form. But on May 5, the Secretary of State said that Boyd cannot redesign the form. The Secretary of State also said that the Secretary himself cannot now redesign the form, because the change would need to be cleared by the Voting Rights Section of the U.S. Justice Department. Also the Secretary points out that other independent candidates may have been using the existing format already this year, and it would be impossible to change the form in the middle of the petitioning season.