Voters across the country are jumping ship and switching parties.  In Pennsylvania, it’s a trend that many voter registration offices are seeing. 

 

“I think every presidential election we do see an influx on the television of candidates,” said Sarah Seymour, Blair County Elections Director, “but I think especially this year people are just commenting that it’s everywhere.”

 

Around 59,000 registered Pennsylvania Democrats have changed their registration to Republican since January. 

 

“I think many of them are saying, ‘Enough is enough and it’s time for a change,'” Blair County Republican Committee Chairman A.C. Stickel said.

 

On the other side, about 27,000 registered Republicans are now checking off “Democrat” on registration forms. 

 

“They’re actually just seeing, just being bombarded by the candidates and that it’s time that they come in to switch to vote for the candidate that they want or to register to vote,” Seymour said.

 

In Blair County, more than 700 people switched to or newly registered as Republican since January.  During this time last year, only about 140 people made the change. 

 

“We’ve seen people in their 40’s, 50’s, and even 60’s coming in and very proud to say that they’re registering to vote for the first time ’cause they believe that this election is one of the important ones,” Seymour said.

 

That’s not the only reason some voters are switching parties. 

 

“People are fed up with the progressive, liberal policies of this president and this governor,” Stickel said. “Their policies have shut down jobs in the coal industry, the gas industry.”

 

Others have strategy in mind.

 

“There are a few people (Democrats) who would like to vote in the Republican primary in order to pick the candidate they think might be weakest against the democratic nominee,” Stickel said.

 

Reasons for switching aside, Stickel thinks more voters could could be a good thing. 

 

“If it gets people involved and gets people out and gets people to find out about candidates not from watching a debate, that’s a starting point.”

 

Registration for the primaries closes March 28th.