When Durango resident Will Baker turned 18 earlier this year, he promptly visited the La Plata County Clerk and Recorder’s Office to register to vote.

But he didn’t affiliate with one of the major parties. Instead, he registered as unaffiliated, placing himself among a growing demographic in La Plata County and across the country of young voters who chose to stay neutral when it comes to party affiliation.

Baker said political debate today is polarizing, and by registering unaffiliated and pledging no allegiance to a major party, he can remain objective and open to diverse ideas.

“Everyone is so focused trying to make sure they prove their party is the right party,” Baker said. “Nobody is interested in having a discussion, which is what politics is all about in my mind. If everyone is focusing on trying to convince everyone else that their party is right, how can we actually sit down and create something that is going to work for the betterment of most people as opposed to the very few?”

As recently as December 2012, the number of active voters in La Plata County was evenly split between Republicans (9,855), Democrats (9,842) and unaffiliated voters (9,845).

But as of December this year, active unaffiliated voters (10,819) held an 8 percent majority over Republicans (10,055) and Democrats (10,015).

The trend is a bit concerning to Jean Walter, chairwoman of the La Plata County Democrats.

“If you have this mass out there not identifying or supporting any particular platform or set of goals, then you have a mass where you don’t know what to think,” Walter said.

“I assume the millennials have a very high environmental consciousness, but I don’t know that because they tend to register as unaffiliated.”

Ask voters why they register as unaffiliated, and you are likely to get as many answers as questions, she said. But there are three main reasons:

People like to be considered independent and free thinkers, Walter said. But registering as unaffiliated makes them unable to participate in 95 percent of the nominating process for major candidates.

Residents hope to avoid pesky emails, phone calls and knocks at the door asking them to support or donate to certain candidates. Walter said she has had Democrats tell her to quit calling or they will vote for the other party, so she makes a note of it in her voter rolls.

Politics has become polarizing, rife with name-calling and mudslinging. Some voters hope to remove themselves from that nastiness by registering as unaffiliated.

Travis Oliger, chairman of the La Plata County Republican Central Committee, said the unaffiliated group has been growing for several years, starting in 2008 with people defecting from the right, but more recently, people from the left.

“It’s a combination of both sides,” he said. “Obviously, you’ve got the people who were never registered who are probably growing that group as well.

“Those people, they’re not going to be able to be ignored,” he added. “That group is getting too big. There are a lot of unhappy people that don’t really feel like they’re being represented by either side.”

During an 18-month period between June 2014 and December this year, at least 204 La Plata County voters switched from unaffiliated to Democrat, while another 155 switched from Democrat to unaffiliated.

Likewise, 138 went from unaffiliated to Republican while 136 went from Republican to unaffiliated. At least 44 voters switched from Democrat to Republican, while 38 went from Republican to Democrat.

Interestingly, young voters between the ages of 18 and 21 who identify with a major party in La Plata County are closely split between Democrats and Republicans.

Mitch Guffey, 18, a student at the University of Denver, said he decided to register as a Republican after several discussions with his parents. For him, the defining issue came down to the Second Amendment, which includes the right to bear arms.

Guffey said all of his friends are Democrats, but taking a middle road wasn’t an option for him.

“I hate to be in the middle,” he said.

“It’s either one or the other.”

shane@durangoherald.com