CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- As West Virginia gets ready for early voting to start, registrars are finding that new voters are scarce compared to the last presidential election.

Voter registration ends Tuesday, so numbers will change, but preliminary figures from the Secretary of State show this election hasn't generated as many new voters as the 2004 contest.

Between the close of registration before the May 13 primary elections and late last week, just over 16,000 new voters had registered in West Virginia.

Four years ago, more than 65,000 people registered to vote between the primaries and the general election.

West Virginia Wesleyan University political scientist Robert Rupp says that's probably because this year, the state is not considered to be up for grabs.

Read more in Monday's Charleston Gazette.

Voter registration ends Tuesday, so numbers will change, but preliminary figures from the Secretary of State show this election hasn't generated as many new voters as the 2004 contest.

Between the close of registration before the May 13 primary elections and late last week, just over 16,000 new voters had registered in West Virginia.

Four years ago, more than 65,000 people registered to vote between the primaries and the general election.

West Virginia Wesleyan University political scientist Robert Rupp says that's probably because this year, the state is not considered to be up for grabs.

Read more in Monday's Charleston Gazette.