Fun facts about Broward County voters in 2020

The largest and most diverse group of voters in Broward history will help elect the next president of the United States on Nov. 3.

How big?

The number of eligible Broward voters is 1,267,187, according to county figures. Almost exactly half are Democrats: 633,910 or 50.02%. Republicans number 269,464 or 21%. No-party or minor party voters make up the remaining 29%.

How diverse?

Whites make up 42% of the total pool of voters, Blacks account for 24% and Hispanics make up 23%. Of all Democrats, 39% are Black and 33% are non-Hispanic white.

Then and now

Democrats today make up almost the same share of the county’s voters as they did in 2004 (50.4% then and 50% now). But the Republicans’ share of the total has dropped significantly from 27 to 21%. Unaffiliated voters have grown the most in Broward, just like they have elsewhere in Florida.

Who are all those NPAs?

Broward now has 347,881 voters registered with no party affiliation. Of the total, 40% are white, 29% are Hispanic and about 15% are Black.

The party-switchers

In any election year, a lot of voters decide to change political parties. Here’s a snapshot of Broward’s party-switchers in 2020: Nearly 56,000 voters changed parties through Oct. 1. More than half, 52%, were NPAs who became Democrats. Only 13.4% were NPAs who became Republicans. A total of 5,961 Democrats became Republicans and 4,242 Republicans became Democrats.

The bluest of them all

Broward’s bluest city is Lauderdale Lakes, where 77% of all voters are Democrats. Lauderhill is close behind at 74%.

Red voters in a blue county

Five cities are home to more Republicans than Democrats: Hillsboro Beach, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Lighthouse Point, Sea Ranch Lakes and Southwest Ranches.

Lighthouse Point is the reddest of the five: 51% of its 8,548 voters are Republicans (totals are as of Oct. 15). There’s a popular perception that Republicans dominate in Parkland, but it’s simply not the case: Of the roughly 24,000 voters in Parkland, Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 1,000.

Turning out

Broward’s biggest voter turnout happened in the 2016 presidential election, when 843,767 people, or 71.6% of voters, cast ballots. The highest turnout by the percentage of all voters was 82.5% back in 1992. To set a turnout record by percentage, Broward’s total turnout must exceed 1,045,429.

Closest battleground

Every legislative district but one in Broward is strongly Democratic. The lone exception: House District 93, where Republican Rep. Chip LaMarca is seeking reelection against Democrat Linda Thompson Gonzalez. In this narrow coastal district between Dixie Highway and the Atlantic Ocean, there are almost equal numbers of Democrats (45,893) and Republicans (45,276). It can’t get much closer than that.