RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — With Election Day just over a month away, more and more Virginians are deciding to vote early. 

“Increased interest and increased involvement by Republicans in early voting may account for some of it,” said Virginia Tech Political Science Professor Karen Hult. 

106,314 Virginians have already cast their ballot two days into early voting, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. That’s a 30,000, or 38%, increase from the first two days of early voting in 2020.

Hult said some of the increase can be credited in part to key Republicans changing their tune on the legitimacy of early voting. 

“This follows the Sunday tele-rally in which former President Trump and Governor Youngkin were encouraging Republicans to vote early, and that of course is quite different from what happened in 2020, in which many Republicans were calling early voting into question as not being fair or appropriate,” Hult told 8News. 

Hult adds that President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race in July could also be driving up voter turnout. 

“Certainly when Vice President Harris joined the ticket that made a lot more people say, ‘I might well go ahead and vote,’” Hult said. 

However, Hult says it’s hard to say if the increase in early voting will help Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump more in Virginia. 

“I would say November is a long way away,” Hult told 8News. 

Early voting is taking place at local registrar’s offices across Virginia until Nov. 2.