Registration for the mayoral election closed at midnight last night, and while final totals aren't available, it's clear Democrats will hold their near 4-to-1 edge.

Spokesman Ken Snyder of Democrat John Street's mayoral campaign said his troops had already collected 5,000 new registrations since the summer, and they turned in another 5,000 yesterday.

This spring, about 11,000 voters switched from the Republican to Democratic Party, as Democratic candidate Marty Weinberg courted former Frank Rizzo Democrats.

Official numbers show only about 2,500 Democrats switched back, but GOP party leader Michael Meehan figures they've added another 8,000 to 10,000 Republicans on new registrations.