Independent & 3rd-Party Voters Surge in PA

The proportion of Pennsylvanians registered as independent or third-party voters has steadily risen from 12% in the 2005 general election to 16% in 2025, according to data from the Department of State.

“There is something in the air that is making a bunch of people say, ‘I don’t want to identify — at least initially — with either party,’ " said Stephen Medvic, a political scientist at Franklin & Marshall College. “And parties have to take that seriously. They have to ask themselves, ‘Why are we not resonating with a big chunk of the electorate?’ ”