Iowa sees nearly 12,000 new voters since caucuses

Since the day of the Feb. 1 caucuses, more Iowa voters who previously listed no party affiliation have become Democrats than Republicans, according to figures from the Iowa Secretary of State.

Between Feb. 1 and 22, the figures show, 26,030 voters with no party affiliation registered as Democrats. By comparison, 20,769 of such voters became Republicans.

Those who don't register under either party affiliation make up the biggest chunk of Iowa voters - larger than either political party.

The number of voters who jumped between parties during the period was roughly similar for each party: 5,709 of the state's registered Democrats became Republicans, and 5,080 of the state's registered Republicans became Democrats.

In all between Feb. 1 and 22, the state saw 11,974 new voters register - more than half of them as Democrats.

Because of the filing period ranges for voter registration data, it's impossible to say for sure how many of the new registrations and party switches happened on caucus night. But a spokesman for the Secretary of State's office said the caucuses were the 'driving force” behind the changes. Iowans were allowed to register or change affiliation at the caucus sites.

Here are some other numbers released by the agency:

' Democrats: From 586,835 on Feb. 1 to 616,016 on Feb. 22, a gain of 29,181.

' Republicans: From 615,763 on Feb. 1 to 637,025 on Feb. 22, a gain of 21,262.

' No party: From 727,112 on Feb, 1 to 679,901 on Feb. 22, a decrease of 47,211.

'I am very pleased to see so many Iowans engaged in the political process, especially the 12,000 new people who registered to vote,” Secretary Paul Pate said in a statement. 'Citizen participation is key for the future of our state and country. I hope everyone who registered and participated on Feb. 1 remains involved in their community and votes in every election.”