Oct 25, 2012 2 min read

WAYNESBURG – Interest in the presidential election has apparently sparked a slight increase in the Greene County voter registration rolls since the April primary. Voter registration increased by 365 voters since the spring, jumping from 22,294 voters in April to 22,659 voters now, according to the county elections and voter registration office. Since the primary election, the Republican party has shown the most gain, picking up 213 more registered voters. The number of voters registered as “other” party or with no party affiliation increased by 188 voters The Democratic party, on the other hand, saw its numbers decline by 36 voters since April. Democrats in Greene County continue to outnumber Republicans in voter registration; however, the edge is no longer the 3 to 1 advantage Democrats once held. The county now has 22,659 registered voters, of which 14,282 are Democrats, 6,540 are Republicans and 1,837 are “other” party or have no party affiliation. Those with no affiliation or registered with “other” parties include 972 listed as having no affiliation; 77 as no party; 14 as other; 259 as non-partisan; 357 as independent; 75 as Libertarian; and 49 as Green. In the spring, the county had 22,294 registered voters. Those who registered Democrat totaled 14,318; those registered Republican 6,327; and those with no affiliation or registered with other parties, 1,649. In a presidential election year the number of registered voters normally increases, said Tina Kiger, elections office director. Though there was an increase this year, it was not as large as that during the 2008 presidential election, she said. In November 2008, the county had 25,682 registered voters: 17,113 Democrats, 6,778 Republicans and 1,791 other party or with no party affiliation. In the last four years, since November 2008, the number of people registered Democrat has declined by 2,831 and the number registered as Republicans has dropped by 238. The number of those registered with other parties or with no affiliation increased by 46. According to the 2010 census, Greene County saw a decline in population, from 40,672 in 2000 to 38,686 in 2010.