New voter registrations in Connecticut have far outpaced corresponding numbers in the runup to the 2016 race, showing the high interest in this year’s high-stakes presidential election.
From June 15 to Sept. 15, Democrats gained 32,432 voters, Republicans added 16,364 and new unaffiliated voters totaled 38,055, according to the secretary of the state’s office.
For the same period four years ago, Democrats added 17,127 voters, Republicans added 8,820 and the ranks of unaffiliated voters rose by 22,483.
The rising numbers — a 79% overall increase in new voter registration in the three-month period this year compared to 2016 — are even more noteworthy considering that the coronavirus pandemic has impacted automatic voter registration at state Department of Motor Vehicles locations, normally one of the biggest drivers of registrations, secretary of the state’s office spokesman Gabe Rosenberg said.