More Than 30,000 Voters Drop Republican Affiliation After Capitol Hill Riot

Over 30,000 registered Republican Party voters across the nation have changed their party status after the insurrection at the United States Capitol on January 6.

According to The Hill, Republican voters in key swing states have changed their voter registration. The Secretary of State’s office reports that in the first 25 days of the year, 10,000 Pennslyvania voters have dropped the Republican Party, and 3,476 have registered as Democrats.

“Usually, absent a primary election that would induce people to switch parties so that they could participate in that primary, you don’t see much activity in party registration,” Michael McDonald, a voting and elections expert at the University of Florida, said.

States usually report voter registration data monthly. The number of Republicans that have switched is expected to grow.

“These people who are doing this activity are likely very sophisticated voters. They’re highly participatory, most likely, “McDonald said. “If you’re sophisticated enough to change your party registration, you’re somebody who’s likely to vote.”

McDonald says that the number of voters switching parties is relatively small.

“Prior to the election, the trend was in the opposite direction, there were more Republicans that were registering,” McDonald said. “It’s not just like it’s a little blip, it’s also a blip in a different direction than we’ve seen in previous years.”