MAYVILLE — The Chautauqua County Board of Elections recently released the official 2018 voter registration enrollment totals of 76,447 for Chautauqua County. For the first time since 2008, there are more registered Republicans in Chautauqua County than Democrats.

Pursuant to New York State Election law, official voter registration totals are established statewide and county-by-county on April 1. These enrollment totals are used to determine the number of signatures any candidate might need to run for office and to gain access to the ballot.

The official county enrollment numbers are: Republican, 25,775 (34 percent); Democratic, 25,235 (33 percent); Independence, 4,673 (6 percent); Conservative, 1,892 (3 percent); Working Families, 439 (1 percent) ; Green, 187; Women’s Equality, 30; Reform, 28; Other, 96; and Non Affiliated, 18,092 (25 percent).

“Two thirds of all county voters see themselves as either a Democrat or Republican and a quarter of all voters choose to affiliate with none of the political parties,” pointed out Democratic Election Commissioner Norman P. Green.

“One thing is for sure,” said Republican Election Commissioner Brian C. Abram, “our enrollment totals make it clear that any political candidate of any affiliation can win if they mount the right campaign at the right time.”

There are eight major parties in New York state and their status as a major party was determined by receiving 50,000 votes cast for the candidate running on the party’s line in the 2014 gubernatorial election. This being a gubernatorial election year, all political parties running or cross endorsing a candidate for governor this year and receiving 50,000 votes will maintain its major party status.