Pennsylvania Democrats leaving the party for Trump?

More than 70,000 Pennsylvania Democrats have changed their registration to Republican this year, perhaps to support Donald Trump in the hotly contested presidential primary.

There’s a national effort to get voters to become Republicans to support Trump. In a viral You Tube video (above), two lively ladies urge voters to “ditch the Democratic plantation” and switch to the Republican Party to vote for Trump.

Pennsylvania has closed primaries, so to vote for — or against — Trump, you’d have to become a Republican, which is easier now that the state has online voter registration.

Franklin and Marshall College pollster Terry Madonna said Republican registration has grown in other states, and exit polling indicates most of that is about Trump.

Some Democrats, he said, are switching to vote against Trump — or to support him because they think he’ll be the easiest nominee for the Democrats to beat.

“We have some of what we could call mischievous changes,” Madonna said. “But, overall, I think the vast majority of them are switching to vote for one of the Republican candidates, and the largest number to vote for Donald Trump.”

While party switches are up this year, they’re not transforming the electorate. More than 36,000 Republicans have switched to the Democratic Party this year.

There are just over 3 million Republicans in the state, and their net gain from party switches is a little more than one percent.

If you’re thinking of switching or registering to vote, Monday is the last day to qualify for the April 26 primary.