Mar 7, 2016 3 min read

Hillary Clinton on Thursday posted the following message on social media: “The more time that passes, the scarier this gets. #GOPdebate.”

While the Democratic frontrunner seems vexed by her competitors, verbal jabs among Republican presidential candidates could be the impetus for an increase of voter registrations.

“It’s almost like we’re reaching a total crescendo,” said Larry Spahr, Washington County elections director. “There’s just a palpable, noticeable attitude in electors with what’s been going on in Washington, D.C.”

Spahr, who has been with the department for 36 years, said while votership generally increases across the country in presidential election years, Pennsylvania, and more specifically, Washington County, haven’t necessarily fallen in line – until this year.

“About a month ago, we started noticing this trend,” Spahr said. “People in larger numbers may want to come out and express their opinion.”

Tina Kiger, director of the Greene County elections office, also saw trends this year with voter registration she attributes to the Republican primary race.

“We are getting a few more registrations than normal,” Kiger said.

But the most noticeable movement, according to Kiger and Spahr, is the number of voters switching parties, mostly from Democrat to Republican.

“All of this turnout … is a manifestation of the general dissatisfaction with what’s going on currently … with the politicians in general,” Spahr said.

In Washington County, at least, a rise in Republicans is nothing new. Since President Ronald Reagan’s re-election in 1984, the number of conservatives climbed. At that time, there were nearly 2.5 Democrats for every Republican, but the ratio now is closer to 1.5-to-1, said Spahr.

Melanie J. Blumberg, a professor of political science at California University of Pennsylvania, said even in her notoriously liberal home of Mahoning County, Ohio, voters are switching to the “(Donald) Trump party”.

“To see this kind of switching is very unusual,” said Blumberg. “Trump has ignited something in people.”

Blumberg believes people lost faith in institutions, especially those of government, business, media and health care. She said people who never voted are registering because “Trump has given them something to latch onto.”

In both Washington and Greene counties, absentee ballots are a normal level, but Spahr, Kiger and Blumberg agreed they will probably start to increase.

“People are turned off by politics as ‘business as usual,'” Blumberg said. “Trump is tapping into that unhappiness.”

The last day to register or make any party changes before the primary is March 28, and the last day to apply for an absentee ballot is April 19.