For the first time since 2008, Centre County has more registered Republicans than Democrats

For the first time in more than a decade, Centre County has more registered Republicans than Democrats.

As of Monday, Centre County has 42,165 registered Republican voters and 41,460 registered Democrats, according to voter registration numbers posted by the Pennsylvania Department of State. That means Republicans outnumber Democrats by 705 voters, a shift from December 2023 when there were 1,542 more registered Democrats than Republicans in the county.

In a post on Facebook, the Centre County Republicans celebrated the party’s first Centre County voter majority since March 2008, and commended the hard work of those who helped make it happen.

“Today, we celebrate the fruits of our labor,” the post reads. “By cleaning up the voter rolls and engaging our community, we have officially restored Centre County to its red roots. This is a monumental achievement for our team and our values!”

The post also recognized two political activists, Charlie Kirk with Turning Point USA and Scott Presler with Early Vote Action, for the efforts they made to “increase voter registrations and strengthen our outreach efforts.” Kirk’s visit to Penn State in September drew hundreds of supporters. The post also thanked U.S. Senator-elect Dave McCormick and president-elect Donald Trump’s campaigns.

Margie Swoboda, chair of the Centre County Democratic Committee, said she wasn’t entirely surprised by the change.

“Usually after every election there’s a decent-sized shift in registration numbers, but we see that as just a part of the election process,” Swodoba said. “For the time being, the Republicans hold a slight advantage in the county, but we’ll see what happens in the weeks and months to come. For now though, changes and shifts like this one are only natural.”

Trump made significant gains in Centre County during the November presidential election, but Vice President Kamala Harris still won the county by 2,290 votes. In state row offices, results showed that voters leaned red. More than 81,100 ballots were cast in the election, for a turnout rate over 73%.

According to the Department of State, this year 501 Democrat voters switched to Republican in Centre County, and 240 Republican voters changed their party registration to Democratic.

Centre County isn’t the only county to see such a change this year. Republicans now hold voter registration advantages in four other counties — Beaver, Berks, Bucks and Fayette — that previously leaned in favor of Democrats, according to 2020 end-of-year registration data published in 2021.

Of the flipped counties, Fayette County has shown the most change in registered voter numbers, with Republicans now holding a nearly 10,000-voter lead in the county as of Monday.

Centre County Republicans Chair Michelle Schellberg did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The primary election is May 20, and Pennsylvania is one of 10 states with a closed primary system, meaning that only voters who are registered to a major party can participate. The deadline to register to vote in that election is May 5.