RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – Data obtained by 8News shows that voter registration in Virginia is on the rise after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race for President and Vice President Kamala Harris announced her plans to seek the Democratic nomination for president.
“Particularly Democrats are excited that there is a new face to the party, a new candidate that doesn’t have the age baggage that Joe Biden had,” 8News Political Analyst, Rich Meagher explained.
Data from the Virginia Department of Elections shows that on Monday and Tuesday (7/22 and 7/23), the first two full days of Harris’s campaign, 4,899 Virginians registered to vote, a 38.5% increase over the same time the week before.
“These could be Democrats fired up about Kamala Harris’ candidacy and joining in to vote for their chosen candidates,” said Meagher. It also could be Republicans garnered by Kamala Harris and what is happening in the Democratic party.”
Meagher says although we know nothing about those who have recently registered to vote, given the party’s perceived excitement following President Biden’s decision to step aside, Democrats have reasons to be encouraged.
“New registrations reflect either people who felt left out of the process and are now either excited to vote for or against Harris or they are younger voters who maybe were sitting out or didn’t see a reason to join in because Joe Biden was running and now they are excited because there of this new person, this new face in the race,” said Meagher.
It’s not just Virginia that is seeing an increase in voter registration since President Biden decided to step aside. Vote.org, a non-profit group that works to increase voter turnout, says they have seen a 700% increase in the number of people registering to vote nationwide.