The numbers haven’t been in the Democrats favor in Schuylkill County for quite some time. And in the last four years, voter registration has swung even more in the Republicans’ favor.
It’s even happening in the county’s lone Democrat stronghold of Pottsville.
Schuylkill County Voter Registration Data
Let’s take a bit of a deeper dive in Schuylkill County voter registration data, comparing the numbers from 2020 vs. 2024.
If you’re a Democrat running for office or a Democrat voter here in Schuylkill County, you’re probably well aware that your chances of winning a County or regional election are rather slim.
In 2020, Republicans held an 18,637 voter registration advantage. There were 48,777 registered Republicans here. That represented nearly 54% of the 90,422 voters four years ago.
Democrats had 30,140 (33.3%) registered voters in 2020.
That big lead in registration data led to an easy win – at least in Schuylkill County – for then-incumbent GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump. He whalloped Joe Biden by nearly 40 percentage points in the final results.
Trump actually got more votes in Schuylkill County than there were Republican voters back then. He finished with 48,871 votes and there were 48,777 GOP voters.
Jump to four years later.
It once again seems likely that Trump will easily carry the Schuylkill County vote. That’s because in these last four years, the Republican Party has added to its registration advantage, quite considerably.
There are now 52,914 Republican voters (as of Oct. 31, 2024). That’s 4,137 (about 8.5%) more than in 2020.
And while the Republicans have been adding new voters to their registration roll, the Democrats have been hemmorhaging them.
As of Oct. 31, 2024, there are 26,686 registered Democrats in Schuylkill County. That’s 3,454 less than there were four years ago. And it makes the difference between the two major parties now at 26,228
Pottsville Voter Registration Data
The Schuylkill County voter registration data probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise to many.
However, what’s happening in Pottsville definitely has some shock value. And what’s happening could have an impact on the 2025 Municipal Election when there are three seats up for grabs on City Council, including the Mayor’s seat.
In 2020, there were 3,806 registered Democrats in Pottsville. And there were 3,152 registered Republicans. That’s a difference of 654.
But as of Oct. 31, 2024, that lead for the Democrats has nearly completely evaporated.
As of earlier this week, there were 3,430 registered Democrats and 3,420 registered Republicans. That’s only a 10 voter difference.
** Data for this article comes from the Schuylkill County Election Bureau and the Pennsylvania Dept. of State.
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