Poway Remains GOP Stronghold as Dems Regain Edge Countywide

A month after Republicans edged ahead of Democrats in countywide voter registration, new figures show the GOP trailing a month before the presidential election.

While Democrats currently have a slight lead throughout the county, Poway remains solidly Republican, with almost twice as many registered voters. Of the 28,160 voters in Poway, 13,121 are declared Republicans, with 6,960 registered as Democrats.  

In early September, voters affiliated with the Republican Party outnumbered Democrats by a slim 100 countywide—510,792 to 510,692.

Earlier this week, Democratic officials boasted a swing back to the Blue column.

As of Sept. 30, figures issued by the county Registrar of Voters Office showed 518,463 Democrats eligible to vote in San Diego County against 514,582 Republicans—out of 1.47 million voters total.

In a statement, county Democratic Party Chairman Jess Durfee called the shift “a key sign of momentum for Democratic candidates just before many ballots hit mailboxes next week.”

County Republican Party Chairman Tony Krvaric said: “We expect county party registration numbers to continue to be close. Clearly there is a paid effort afoot on the Democratic side.”

Responding to a Patch query, Krvaric said via email: “At the end of the day, the key will be who shows up to the polls and we are confident Republicans will outperform registration by a healthy margin.”

Durfee noted that 
last month Secretary of State Debra Bowen launched registertovote.ca.gov where Californians can sign up to vote online for the first time, and said more than 100,000 people registered on the site in its first week.

“While some states are making it harder to register and participate in this election, in California it’s easier than ever for eligible voters to make their voices heard,” Durfee said. “In San Diego, we’re already seeing our countywide majority of voters grow, and we plan to turn that into a countywide majority of votes for Democrats on Nov. 6.”

The voter registration deadline in California is October 22. If you haven’t registered yet, check Patch’s guide for information to help you get started.