Voter Registration Surges Ahead of Tuesday’s Primary

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Nearly 650,000 Californians registered to vote in the last 45 days before the deadline, giving the state its highest statewide voter registration before a primary election.

Secretary of State Alex Padilla said Friday that 17.9 million people are registered ahead of Tuesday’s primary. That’s 72 percent of the eligible California population.

The Democratic Party gained just under 500,000 new voters amid the nearly tied presidential primary between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Democrats now comprise 45 percent of California voters.

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The Republican Party showed gains too, picking up 136,000 new members between early April and late May. Twenty-seven percent of California voters are Republicans.

About 60,000 people registered without a party preference. They are 23 percent of the electorate.

California has added 761,000 voters since the 2012 presidential primary.