According to state data, as of September 4, San Bernardino County had the second highest percent increase in voter registrations in the state. Riverside County had the fifth largest. U.C. Riverside political science professor, Francisco Pedraza says this regional rise may be due to decades of work done by community organizations.  

“Those organizations that formed in the 90’s and 2000’s and even a decade ago around mentoring youth, around civic engagement, [and] the huge influx of resources and organizing that took place around the 2020 census. All of that has built a tremendous capacity in the Inland Empire that may be translating into this surge in voter registration,” said Pedraza.

The surge is trending left, but notably the number of Independent party affiliations doubled since 2016. As for age groups, in Riverside County, the largest percentage goes to those 66 and older, but in San Bernardino County, it’s voters 26 to 35.

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