Four years ago, when Glenn Youngkin was elected governor, election officials registered 25,000 new voters in June.
Now new voter registrations are trailing significantly, with only 15,000 in June. Registration numbers for March and April were also lower, though July was roughly on par.
Jennifer Victor at George Mason University says some of that is a reflection that Democrats are struggling to address income inequality.
"Right now, I think the Republican Party has more answers for that," Victor argues. "Their answers are particularly problematic when it comes to Democratic values, but the Democrats don't really have a brand or an answer to that valid sense of grievances that a lot of Americans are feeling."
Democrats across the country are facing declines in voter registration among men, younger voters and Latinos.
Wes Bellamy at Virginia State University says outreach to the Black community is lacking.
"I don't think that the barbershop is the only place where Black males are. I think there has to be more work on the ground specifically talking to folks in the community," Bellamy says. "I think that regulating the Black outreach singularly to churches and barbershops, more traditional places, that's not going to cut it."
Democrats still have a few months to register new voters and get them to the polls before Election Day. Early voting starts in three weeks.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
