As support for Donald Trump grows among non-Republican voters, party affiliation has become a major issue before the primaries.  In North Carolina, only voters registered as unaffiliated (UNA) or Republican (REP) may vote on a Republican ballot in the primary on March 15.

The New York Times reports that a duo of Trump cheerleaders, known as the YouTube sensation Diamond and Silk, have been calling for Democrats to switch their party to Republican if they want to vote in closed primaries for Trump.

The two ladies may be having an impact.

Comparing the stats of registered voters in the state over the 2011 and 2015 pre-primary periods reveals a trend of voters moving away from the DEM column and into REP and UNA columns – especially in the past six months.

In 2015, from June through January 2, 2016, there was an increase of about 67,000 registered UNAs, which was 13,000 more than in the same period in 2011.  Also, in the same periods, REPs increased by about 27,000, which was about 6,000 more than in 2011, and DEMs increased by about 6,000 which was about 5,000 fewer than in 2011.

Going all the way back to 2007, in the months leading up to the primaries, there was barely any increase in registrations of any party in the state.  Then, in 2011, after three years of Obama, shifting toward UNAs and REPs began.

While REPs and UNAs in North Carolina have been increasing in registrations over Obama’s two terms in office, DEMs have been decreasing.

In Wake County, where Raleigh is located, Republican voters are outnumbered by DEM/UNA by almost three to one.  Yet when Donald Trump held a rally at the state fairgrounds in early December, Dorton Arena was packed to the rafters.

The many forces influencing the shifts in party affiliation, such as disenchantment of Democrats with Obama, the disdain of conservatives for sycophantic Republican politicians going along with Obama, and the urgency of switching parties in order to vote in an upcoming primary, may just put Donald Trump over the top as the Republican party nominee.

Read more Ann Kane at ExZoom.net.