California Voter Numbers Hit Record Amid GOP Decline
SACRAMENTO (CBS/AP) -- California has reached an all-time high of 18.2 million registered voters while the number of registered Republicans has fallen below 30 percent, signaling a worrisome decline for the state's minority party.
The secretary of state's office announced Friday that 950,000 new voters have signed up since the 2008 presidential contest. Officials attribute that surge in part to the state's new online registration system, which attracted many new young, Democratic-leaning voters this fall.
That system was seen as a threat to the ranks of the California Republican Party, which has struggled to maintain voters, led alone add them. The secretary of state announced that Republicans now make up 29.3 percent of the voting population.
The percentage of registered voters, 76.7 percent of those eligible, is the same as in past years.
(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
