The Centre County Democrats are reporting that the county has officially turned blue, and local activists are saying student registrations have made the difference.

As of Friday, Democrats led Republicans 36,767 to 36,379 in voter registrations, with an estimated 1,500 more still to be processed, according to a Centre County Democrats press release. The release also states that the Centre County Office of Elections and Voter Registration has confirmed the county’s “blue” status.

Although the new numbers are likely “a reflection of a lot of things,” according to Dianne Gregg, Centre County Democrats chairwoman, student registrations are primarily responsible for the county’s turning blue, she said.

“There are switches in registrations all around the county for various reasons, but it’s not as big a number as the student registrations,” Gregg said. “[In past presidential races] we have not seen the attention to the student voters from national campaigns that we’re seeing now.”