RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – Data compiled by the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) shows that as of Sunday, Oct. 20, 1.02 million people have voted early ahead of the November election — that’s down from the over 1.38 million people who voted early at the same point in 2020.
“It’s possible that it’s a combination of less interest in the election and less need for absentee ballots,” said Alex Keena, Professor of Political Science at VCU.
Keena says although notable, the decrease in early voting is unlikely to give us much insight into whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump will win Virginia once all the votes are counted.
“In 2020 the circumstances were somewhat unique,” Keena told 8News. “In 2020, there was a global pandemic. People were isolating at home so there were a lot more people who were voting remotely through absentee ballots.”
One thing of note, however, is when broken down by congressional district, the only two districts with over 100,000 early votes cast are the First and Fifth Congressional Districts — which typically lean Republican.
Despite that, Keena said that with expanded early voting only in its second presidential election in Virginia, it’s too early to draw any conclusions.
“We are still waiting to see if there are any trends because it’s relatively new, so it’s hard to know exactly what it means, but more and more people will be casting their ballot as Election Day approaches, so the number will increase,” Keena explained.
Several localities across Virginia are opening satellite locations this week to make it easier for Virginians to vote early. You can find those by calling your local registrar’s office or by going to the Department of Elections website.