Democratic voter enrollment dwindles on LI as 'blanks' rise

Daily Point

Democrats still the largest share of local voter registrations at 35%; GOP voters also dip

The Point's analysis of Long Island's biannual voter enrollment points to one trend — the dilution of the Democratic Party's voter registration and the increasing prominence of the unaffiliated voter.

As of mid-February, around 728,450 voters on Long Island were actively registered with the Democratic Party, according to data released last week from the New York State Board of Elections. Around 375,694 of them, or 51%, were enrolled in Nassau County, and 352,756 in Suffolk. 

While Democrats still make up the largest share of enrolled voters at 35%, their numbers are dwindling. In just one year, the party shed 14,300 active voters. The decline was proportionately spread, with Nassau losing 6,388 party enrollees and Suffolk losing around 8,000.

Five years ago, Democrats accounted for 40% of all enrollees in Nassau and 37% in Suffolk.

Meanwhile, 48,990 new enrollees signed up to be independent voters on Long Island since February 2024 — that's twice the population of Plainview. Of those, 10,855 were in the last year alone. There are 616,967 actively enrolled what are commonly called blank voters in the region, making up 30% of the total active voter base. Roughly 284,686 were enrolled in Nassau and 332,281 in Suffolk.

The rise of unaffiliated voters on Long Island mirrors a nationwide trend, with 45% of voters across the United States in 2025 reportedly choosing not to register with either party, up from 43% polled in 2024, according to Gallup.

"It's a reflection of the mood of voters. It's something we take seriously but I don't think it's something we need to be overly concerned with just yet," state and Nassau County Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs told The Point.

"There's an ebb and there's a flow ... Though we would always like to see it go up."

The number of Republican enrollees declined as well, albeit slightly. There are currently 644,114 registered Republicans on Long Island, a drop of 4,273 since February 2025. In Suffolk, which has 338,534 registered Republicans, the gap between blank voter registrations and Republicans is at its narrowest in recent years — with a difference of merely 6,000 voters between the second-largest party and those who choose not to be affiliated with a party. A spokesperson for the Republican Party declined to comment.

The state data does not reveal whether those registering as blanks were switching from another party or were new enrollees.

Active voters are those on the polling books who cast a ballot within the span of two federal elections or have confirmed their address with their local board of elections.

The breakdown of enrollment data by congressional district was not immediately available.

— Karthika Namboothiri karthika.namboothiri@newsday.com

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Final Point

TeamKCQ's message of change for Suffolk Democrats

Can a political party's internal war ultimately benefit the party? Suffolk Democrats are finding out.

Since Southold Town Democratic Party chair Kathryn Casey Quigley's December announcement that she is challenging longtime Suffolk Democratic Party chair Rich Schaffer, she has been recruiting people for "TeamKCQ" to run for committee positions. She told The Point she recruited more than 300 people to fill slots, mostly from western Suffolk towns.

Casey Quigley said that brings the number of committee members up to more than 1,050. Even Schaffer, in a statement to The Point, acknowledged the increase in volunteers.

"The Suffolk County Democratic Committee is proud to see local people stepping up against Trump in the purest form of Democracy — joining their committee and helping qualify our candidates to get on the ballot," Schaffer wrote. "Recruitment is at its all-time high with Democrats looking for ways to fight back."

One Suffolk Democratic leader, however, told The Point it will be interesting to see how many of the newcomers do the grunt work of knocking on doors for signatures.

"It's important to distinguish the energy of this moment in American history — a genuine groundswell of enthusiasm in response to the least popular president since Watergate — from the narrow focus on an internal party mechanism that, in reality, only the most zealous insiders are deeply invested in," the source said.

One wrinkle to her aggressive recruitment, Casey Quigley said, is that the county committee's bylaws allow the chairman to appoint committee members after petitioning. A party source, however, said only committee members who carry petitions can vote in the chairman’s election.

"The way the bylaws are written is a bummer," Casey Quigley said.

But Casey Quigley said she won't be bummed if she loses. Even in defeat, she said she still wins because the party structure is strengthened through her efforts.

"We win no matter what. We're doing something important and big," Casey Quigley said.

The vote for Suffolk party chair will take place between Sept. 17 and Oct. 6.

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

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