No, you do not need to register for each election in Virginia. You only need to register once, and your registration remains active as long as you continue to live at the same address and vote periodically. 

You must update your registration if any of the following occur: 

You move to a new address (even within the same county or city).

Your name legally changes. 

Virginia also offers same-day voter registration, which allows you to register and vote on Election Day using a provisional ballot. However, if you want to avoid voting a provisional ballot, you must register by the standard deadline. For general and primary elections, this deadline is 11 days before Election Day. 

We strongly recommend registering and voting in advance.  To prevent last-minute snafu.