GOP reclaims title as Arizona's largest voter bloc

• Republicans are 34.8 percent of registered voters
• Democrats are 30 percent of registered voters

Arizona Republicans have surpassed independents in voter registration for the first time in two years, and Democrats have cracked the 1 million voter mark for the first time since 2010.

Both parties' gains in this presidential-election cycle have come at the expense of voters who choose to not associate themselves with a party. The independents' numbers, however, dipped only slightly, losing half a percentage point since May, according to data from the Arizona Secretary of State. The Green and Libertarian parties also posted registration gains.

Overall, Arizona added 47,000 new voters since May's special election, an increase of 1.4 percent. The counts are valid as of Friday, reflecting the voter landscape as the Aug. 30 primary election approaches.

MORE FROM AZCENTRAL:Complete voter guide

The Republicans boast the largest share of voters, 34.8 percent, followed closely by independents with 34.2 percent. Democrats account for 30 percent, with the Greens and Libertarians each less than 1 percent of registered voters.

Representatives of the Republican and Democratic parties attributed the partisan gains in part to March's presidential-preference election, where voters had to be registered with a party to vote. That is not the case for next week's statewide primary.

But they were also quick to credit grass-roots efforts to sign up more voters.

Republican Party spokesman Tim Sifert said the Republicans' dominance in the 2014 cycle, when all the statewide offices were won by Republicans, makes the party attractive. "We did really, really well in the 2014 election," he said. "Being Republican is the name of the game."

But Democrats noted they out-registered Republicans, bringing in 5,400 more voters than Republicans during the summer.

"It's not just us," Democratic Party spokesman Enrique Gutierrez said of party registration efforts. Other groups, appalled by Donald Trump's candidacy, have been registering voters as well, he said.

Voter registration has closed for next week's primaries, where legislative, congressional and Arizona Corporation Commission nominees will be picked.

Registration for the Nov. 8 general election, which includes the presidential race, is open through Oct. 10.

Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com and follow her on Twitter @maryjpitzl.