Florida Republicans Hold 1.5 Million Voter Registration Edge Over Democrats Heading Into Nov. 3 Election

Florida Republicans head into the Nov. 3 general election with an advantage of roughly 1.5 million registered voters over Democrats, according to state Division of Elections figures compiled after registration books closed Oct. 5. Of the 13.7 million Floridians registered to vote, nearly 5.69 million are Republicans and almost 4.15 million are Democrats, the News Service of Florida reported.

The numbers frame a midterm in which Floridians are choosing a successor to Gov. Ron DeSantis, with Republican Byron Donalds facing Democrat David Jolly, along with races up and down the ballot. Mail voting is already underway, and in-person early voting began Monday in 34 counties.

The numbers at book closing

Book closing is the last day Floridians can register or change party affiliation and still vote in a given election. For the general election, that deadline was Oct. 5. The major groups stood as follows, according to the News Service of Florida and CBS News Miami, both citing Division of Elections data.

The party changes in the table cover the period between the July 20 registration deadline for the August primary and the Oct. 5 deadline for the general election. Over that stretch, the state added more than 225,000 voters, with gains nearly even between the two major parties.

The Division of Elections' own monthly snapshot, dated Sept. 30, shows a similar picture: 5,678,755 active registered Republicans, 4,133,397 Democrats, 3,345,188 voters with no party affiliation and 514,782 members of minor parties, for a total of 13,672,122.

A rare month for Democrats

The Republican lead has grown steadily since 2021, when the GOP overtook Democrats in statewide registration. But September offered Democrats a small bright spot. The party posted about 500 more net registrations than Republicans that month, the first time since mid-2021 that Democrats had a larger monthly net gain than the GOP, according to the News Service of Florida.

The edge is narrow, and it did little to dent a gap that remains near 1.5 million. Still, the nearly even growth between the July and October deadlines means Republicans did not meaningfully widen their margin during the general election registration push.

What the parties are saying

Republican Party of Florida Chairman Evan Power called the party's registration growth "historic" and said the party has "focused on turnout for elections recently," according to CBS News Miami. Power said Republicans would "be back to growing our lead after the election."

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried tied her party's organizing to voter concerns about the cost of living, including groceries, gas, housing and insurance, and said Democrats are organizing year-round, the outlets reported.

Minor parties and independents

Florida recognizes 15 minor and third parties. The largest by far is the Independent Party of Florida, a group that is often confused with voters who register with no party affiliation. Its membership grew by about 10,000 since July to roughly 331,000. The fastest growth among the smaller parties came from the America First Party of Florida, which added nearly 7,000 members.

The minor parties at book closing, as reported by the News Service of Florida, were:

Voters with no party affiliation, at about 3.35 million, make up roughly a quarter of the electorate. Because Florida holds closed primaries, those voters were largely shut out of party nominating contests in August, but they can vote in every race on the November ballot.

Fewer voters than in 2024

Despite the gains since the summer, Florida has about 250,000 fewer eligible voters for this election than it did for the 2024 presidential election. Part of the drop reflects list maintenance that county supervisors of elections are required to perform, according to the Division of Elections.

Nearly 199,000 voters had been removed from the rolls in 2026 as of Sept. 30, following 251,000 removals in 2025, CBS News Miami reported.

Under state procedures, a voter is moved to inactive status after failing to respond within 30 days to an address confirmation mailing, or if that mailing comes back as undeliverable. An inactive voter who then does not vote in two consecutive general elections is removed. The division says voters are removed only for death, legal ineligibility or moving out of the jurisdiction, and that no one is removed without notice and due process.

Voters who are unsure of their status can check it through the state's online voter lookup or with their county supervisor of elections before heading to the polls.

Early voting is underway

Vote-by-mail ballots have been arriving at supervisors' offices for weeks. In-person early voting began Monday, Oct. 19, in 34 counties, and all 67 counties must offer early voting from Saturday, Oct. 24, through Oct. 31, according to the News Service of Florida. Some counties, including Miami-Dade, are running early voting through Sunday, Nov. 1.

Registration totals are not a forecast. Republicans' advantage in party registration has translated into lopsided statewide wins in recent elections, but turnout, the preferences of no-party voters and crossover voting all shape the final result. Both parties are now focused on getting their registered voters to cast ballots rather than signing up new ones.

What's next

Voters who still want a mail ballot must request one by 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22. With registration closed, the next numbers to watch are turnout figures, which the Division of Elections and county supervisors update daily as mail and early ballots come in. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Mail ballots must be received by county supervisors by 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.