Voter registration deadlines approach; this year's increases in new registrations lag those of 2016; blamed on pandemic

In many if not most states, the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 3 election is next Monday or Tuesday, so this would be a good week for news outlets to remind their audiences of that. It's more important than usual because the novel coronavirus has caused a decline in voter registration rates, Peter Miller of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University reported last week.

"We analyzed registration rates in 21 states and found that the pandemic has led to a drop-off in new registrations in 17 states relative to the 2016 cycle," Miller reports. "We limited our analysis to the states that make monthly counts of registered voters available on the website of the relevant chief elections official." Here's a screenshot of Miller's table:

"It’s important for those who have not registered to vote to do so as soon as possible," Miller writes. "It’s also important for regular voters to double-check with their local election administrators that they are indeed registered to vote to avoid any problems this election season."