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Number of registered voters in Richmond metro swells beyond 2008 numbers

Posted at 6:59 PM, Oct 11, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-11 22:15:03-04

RICHMOND, Va. -- If you want your voice to be heard and your vote to count, you have to make sure you are registered to vote on Election Day in November.

It is clear based on the massive number of people who have watched the debates and shown up to rallies that there is an extreme interest in this presidential election.  You can also see that when you look at how many people have registered to vote in the Richmond metro area.

Compared to 2008 when President Obama was voted in for his first term there are now more than 60,000 new registered voters combined in the City of Richmond, Chesterfield, and Henrico Counties.

A big part of that spike has to do with an increasing population.  However, in Richmond and Chesterfield, there are more people registered to vote per capita than eight years ago.

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It may be a sign there could be higher voter turnout in those areas despite how negative both the Trump and Clinton campaigns have been at times.

“The reality sometimes is that when you have these big personalities it actually increases the attention and anything that increases the attention of the election could result in more voters,” said CBS6 Political Expert Dr. Bob Holsworth.

The one thing you cannot exactly tell based on the number of registered voters is who could benefit more because you do not have to declare party affiliation for elections in Virginia..

But Dr. Holsworth believes you can make an educated guess.

“For example in the City of Richmond which is 70-75 percent a Democratic city, a surge in the number of voters would benefit the Democratic party,” added Dr. Holsworth.  “In Chesterfield where's it's more mixed, it's a Republican area and we would think that a surge in voters would normally benefit Republicans."

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