MORGANTOWN, W.Va. Republicans in Monongalia County will use the time between now and the May primary to continue closing the voter registration gap.
In recent years, Republican registrations in the county have made a comeback, and while Democrat voter registration numbers have eroded, they still maintain a lead over the Republicans, according to Ethan Moore, Chair of the Monongalia County Republican Executive Committee.
“We are 2,300 voters away or so from being a majority party, but to be successful in a general election, we do look for those independents and NPA’s (no party affiliation) to vote for our candidates,” Moore said on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.”
Based on records from the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office from February 2020 to April 2023 in Monongalia County, Democrat registrations fell by 6,277, Republican registrations dropped by 1,342, and those with no party affiliation dropped by 2,395. Moore said they’ll be actively engaging voters wherever they can to boost party registrations in the county and pass the Democrats.
“We’ll let them know that our party’s platform and our party position more likely will closely align with their values and their views,” Moore said.
A large number of residents have registered with no party affiliation, but Moore said that does not mean they’re not politically active. Moore said they won’t change their message or become more aggressive because of the gains in recent election cycles.
“They were well-informed voters, and they knew when they walked into the polling place what they were looking for,” Moore said. “So, they’ll come to that knowledge through their own research.”
Party workers will let the agenda and platform do most of the talking, but he said they won’t hesitate to cross party lines to win them over. That could take a mailer or a public event, but Moore said you will see an active Republican party in Monongalia County leading up to the May primary election.
“We still have to respect their vote and respect their franchise to vote,” Moore said. “So, we’ll be communicating with them the same way we have in the past, just with a greater frequency.”
Moore hopes continued conversations with people in the county are their best approach to ultimately making up the 2,000-plus registration advantage held by the Democrats.
“Our track record, or experience, and our views will convince enough people that they would like to join the Grand Old Party,” Moore said.