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Data reveals drop in new voter registration since last General Assembly election year

2019 saw one of the higher numbers of new voter registrations, but that number dropped by a third this year.

NORFOLK, Va. — Fewer people registered to vote as of September 2023 in Virginia compared to September 2019, according to recent data from the Virginia Peninsula Access Project (VPAP).

The data shows Virginia experiencing a rollercoaster regarding new voter registration numbers in the state. In 2019, newly registered voters as of September jumped to more than 31,000. However, it dipped by about a third in September 2023 records, showing just more than 19,000 newly registered voters.

"In terms of lower registration, I would point to a few possibilities there," said J. Miles Coleman with the UVA Center for Politics. "In the Trump-era, you had Donald Trump really galvanizing people to register. So, he's not in office now, so he's not as much as a galvanizing figure for some people and you saw a lot of new registrations back in the Trump-era. Well, guess what. Those voters are now in the bloodstream of the elections. They're already registered."

Coleman said it's not a big concern at this time regarding voter turnout, since too many factors could be affecting the outcome. He added same-day registration is also likely playing a role in this drop in earlier registrations.

"So, the upshot of this is there's probably a little less pressure on the political parties to register to vote ahead of Election Day," Coleman explained.

In total as of October 18, including in-person and mail-in ballot, VPAP recorded more than 304,000 people voted so far for the 2023 election. This does not include the 223,218 mail applications. 

RELATED: Why Virginia's 2023 November election is 'one of the most critical' in recent years

With a lot at stake for Virginia's key issues and all seats up for grabs in the General Assembly, this is still a big election year for voter turnout. Coleman called the lower voter registration numbers surprising given what is at stake for this election year, as democrats and republicans try to take control of both chambers of the legislature.

Coleman said it's still too early to tell how voter turnout could impact who eventually takes control of the House or the Senate.

"They give you 40 days for early voting, so there's a lot of time things could maybe change," said Coleman.

The deadline to register to vote online has passed. If you aren't registered and you want to vote next month, you need to register in-person and cast a provisional ballot as part of same-day registration. You can do that during early voting or on Election Day.

Early voting ends November 4 and Election Day is November 7.

You can also get prepared with the 13News Now Voters Guide. To get the guide, just text the word "vote" to the number (757) 628-6200. Remember, please text, don't call.

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