Young people could decide the Virginia Gubernatorial Election

Updated July 2024: Check out this article for more updated information on the potential impact of youth voter engagement: Our Newest Voters Don’t Count (But They Should). For more up-to-date information on youth voter registration, check out this 2024 article: Bring Young Voters Onto The Voter Rolls NOW

In Virginia, more than 250,000 young people who have not yet registered to vote could make all the difference in the statewide election set for November 2.

With the deadline to register coming up on October 12, families, schools, businesses, and nonprofits should be doing everything they can to make sure young Virginians are registered so they can vote. 

News reports in recent weeks have documented that the Governor’s race is tight, and both parties are seeking to gain control of the House of Delegates. 

Yet, according to the 2020 US Census, nearly 40% of young Virginians ages 18-24 were not registered to vote. According to registration reports available from the Virginia Department of Elections, new registrations since November 2020 have not kept pace with the number of youth who have turned 18. Approximately 95,000 young people turn 18 in Virginia every year, but fewer than 70,000 young people ages 18-24 have registered to vote since November 2020. As a result, the registration gap between young and older voters has widened. 

Virginia offers online voter registration, which should help young people who have either a driver’s license or state ID to register with ease. New voters can also register by visiting a local voter registration office or by downloading a form available on the Department of Elections website. 

Earlier this year, Virginia enacted a new law allowing young people to preregister to vote beginning at age 16. This law, however, does not go into effect until October 1, 2022, too late to have helped with registration for the youngest voters in the upcoming statewide election or the 2022 midterms.   

Early voting has already begun in the state, and the deadline to request an absentee ballot is October 22, 2021 (requests must be received by the local election office by 5 pm on this date).

The margin separating the Virginia Gubernatorial candidates, as well as candidates for the House of Delegates is narrow. Efforts by young people could decide who will win.