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JACKSON COUNTY Jackson County voter registration shows growing interest in primaries Registration numbers could hit 140,000 by Election Day in November Comment By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Mar. 18, 2016 at 5:24 PM Updated Mar 18, 2016 at 5:27 PM By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Mar. 18, 2016 at 5:24 PM Updated Mar 18, 2016 at 5:27 PM » Social News Record voter registration for the May 17 primaries in Jackson County now rivals numbers seen in recent presidential elections. In 2012, voter registration in the general election hit a record 122,370. So far this primary, 121,918 voters are on the rolls. By May, the county could have more registered voters than in the 2012 general election. Jackson County Clerk Chris Walker anticipates voter registration to climb even higher by November. “Ultimately, I’ll say we might have 135,000 to 140,000,” she said. April 26 is the last day you can register to vote before the primary. Ballots will be mailed out April 29. Walker attributes the surge in registered voters to a combination of more people living in the county and greater numbers of retirees coming to the area. She said the new motor-voter law, which automatically registers voters who update their driver’s licenses, added about 1,000 voters to the rolls. Walker expects the motor-voter law will have an even bigger impact on voter registration numbers in November. Despite the surge, the percentages of registered Democrats and Republicans has remained relatively flat, with Democrats seeing a slight increase since the 2012 primary and Republicans a slight decrease. Walker said the biggest increases in affiliation has been with the Independent Party of Oregon. By Tuesday, there were 39,539 Democrats in Jackson County, 43,578 Republicans and 7,329 members of the Independent Party of Oregon. Those without a party affiliation numbered 28,315. In the 2012 primary, Democrats had 38,889 and Republicans had 43,746. All other voters numbered 30,483. The Independent Party’s numbers have increased enough that it is now considered a major political party and its numbers are recorded separately. The number of registered voters in the 2012 primary was 113,118. In 2008, which had record turnout across the country, there were 119,664 registered voters on Election Day in Jackson County. Walker said voter registration numbers vary because voters are automatically taken off the registration if they move away from the area or haven’t voted over the past few years. She said she expects a 50-percent turnout this primaries, which is better than the 40-percent average in non-presidential election years. David Roadman, chairman of the Jackson County Democratic Party, said he was surprised by the higher number of registered voters this primary season. “I think the wild card is the motor-voter law,” he said. Roadman said Democrats are seeing a lot of interest in the Bernie Sanders campaign, particularly among younger voters. He said he was encouraged to see numbers for Democrats increase somewhat. “We’re hoping like heck that we can get our numbers up,” he said. Ken Fawcett, chairman of the Jackson County Republican Party, said he isn’t surprised that registration is up after the motor-voter law kicked in. “There are definitely people registered to vote who haven’t in the past,” he said. Fawcett said the local Republican Party has seen a lot of interest in Donald Trump. Earlier, he said, there was interest in the campaigns for Marco Rubio and Ben Carson, who have since dropped out of the race. —Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter @reporterdm . By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Mar. 18, 2016 at 5:24 PM Updated Mar 18, 2016 at 5:27 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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