Republicans are now the third largest bloc of voters in California.
New data released by the secretary of state Friday shows no party preference voters comprise 25.5 percent of registered voters while Republicans comprise 25.1 percent.
“For years, the numbers of voters registered without a party preference has been increasing," Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in a statement. "Today’s report shows a significant milestone in the ever-changing California electorate — voter’s without a party preference now outnumber registered Republicans."
Democrats remain the largest group at more than 44 percent.
In San Diego County, registered Republicans slightly out-numbered voters with no party preference, 29.1 percent to 28.9 percent, respectively.
Mirroring the statewide number, registered Democrats are the largest group with more than 36 percent.
More than 19 million Californians are registered to vote ahead of the state's Tuesday primary. That's more than three-quarters of the eligible voter population.
Local
Padilla highlighted the state's new automatic voter registration through the Department of Motor Vehicles as part of the reason for what he characterized as a high registration rate. He also pointed to the state's new mobile-friendly voter registration website and updated paper registration forms.
