Virginia sees slowest voter registration since 2008 ahead of Harris-Trump debate

The big picture: About 188,000 Virginians registered to vote from January to August, per an analysis from the Virginia Public Access Project.

• That's the lowest number recorded in the same timeframe for the past four presidential elections dating back to 2008.
• The peak was in 2016, when Virginia recorded 256,000 new registrations between January and August.
• The second-lowest number was in 2020 with 202,000 new registrations.

Yes, but: Virginia also has the highest number of registered voters ever recorded by the state's Department of Elections.

• As of Sept. 1, Virginia has nearly 6.3 million people registered to vote.
• Close to 6.8 million Virginians are 18 years or older, per July 2023 Census estimates.

Flashback: Last year, Virginia had about 6.1 million registered voters. In the last presidential election, it had just under 6 million.

• In 2008, it had barely 5 million.

Zoom in: Voter turnout in presidential elections has also consistently gone up since 2012, which had 71% of registered voters casting ballots, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.

• In 2020, it was 75%.

What we're watching: Whether that trend continues this year.

What's next: Virginia's in-person voting begins on Sept. 20 and the last day to register to vote is Oct. 15 (though registration is open through Election Day to vote via provisional ballot).