How many registered Republicans are in the State of Texas?

Answer 1

There are currently (in 2008) 12,752,417 registered voters in Texas. There are also 17,735,442 people in the Voting Age Population (VAP).

This means that Texas currently has a 71.90% voter registration rate, so around 7 out of every 10 people who could register are registered.

The turnout of Texas voters in the 2004 presidential election was 56.57%, so around 6 out of every 10 people who were registered showed up to vote. In that election, 81.50% of the Voting Age Population (the people who could be registered) were actually registered. About 8 of 10 people who could register are registered.

The rate of registration has gone down since 2004. Almost 2 million people have been added to the potential voters of Texas, but a smaller portion of them are now registered. In other words, voter registration has not kept up with the surge in people moving to Texas and turning 18 years of age.

Bush defeated Kerry in Texas by approximately 1.7 million votes in 2004. If Texans were registered to vote in 2008 at their 2004 level (81.50%), 1.7 million more voters would now be registered. It is worth noting that not all of these voters would show up to vote (in 2004 only 46% of the people in the Voting Age Population--the people who could be registered to vote--actually both registered and showed up to vote). If these turnout results hold steady, a voter registration drive that brings rates back up to 2004 levels would increase the actual vote in 2008 by approximately 963,000 voters.

Nationally approximately 9 out of every 10 registered voters shows up to vote. This is much higher than the 6 out of 10 rate in Texas.

Sources:

Texas Secretary of State Website; "Turnout and Voter Registration Figures, 1970-Current"; http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/historical/70-92.shtml ; accessed June 12 2008.

U. S. Census Bureau Website; "Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2004"; http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/p20-556.pdf ; Author: Kelly Holder; accessed June 12 2008.