It all comes down to this, Virginia.
After months of tightly contested campaigns for statewide offices, 100 seats in the House of Delegates and a host of local positions, it is Election Day at last. The commonwealth’s future will depend on the choices made today, and everyone eligible to cast a ballot, and who has not yet done so, should make time to have their say.
It’s been four years since Glenn Youngkin stood on the crest of a wave that saw voters hand Virginia’s three statewide offices to GOP candidates. Limited by the state constitution to one four-year term, Youngkin will turn over the keys to the Governor’s Mansion in January, and inaugural preparations are already underway in Richmond.
The only question, to be decided today, is who will take the oath of office on the steps of the Virginia Capitol and succeed the outgoing chief executive. The contest between Democratic candidate and former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger and Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears has been acrimonious at times, but it has also illuminated their stark policy differences and competing visions for the commonwealth.
Virginia will make history whether voters select Spanberger or Earle-Sears, as the victor will become the commonwealth’s first female governor nearly 250 years since Patrick Henry was selected by the General Assembly as the first elected executive.
For lieutenant governor, businessman and broadcaster John Reid, a Republican seeking his first public office, faces Democratic state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi in another history-making affair. Reid would be the first LGBTQ+ candidate to win statewide office, while Hashmi would be the first Muslim candidate to triumph in a statewide race.
Finally, the race for attorney general pits Republican incumbent Jason Miyares against Democratic candidate and former Del. Jay Jones in a bitter contest roiled by Jones’ texting scandal. Polls suggest this race could be decided by a razor-thin margin, emphasizing the importance of every vote.
While the state Senate, and its narrow Democratic majority, will remain in office until 2027, all 100 seats in the House of Delegates are up for election, as they are every two years. Here, voters have an opportunity to shape the priorities of the General Assembly and select candidates who best represent their values and those of their communities.
Finally, most cities in Hampton Roads will elect constitutional officers — sheriff, commissioner of revenue, commonwealth’s attorney and treasurer — while several area counties will select members of their boards of commissioners. A smattering of races for school board and a referendum in Virginia Beach about voting districts round out the choices on local ballots this year.
Thanks to Virginia’s early voting period, commonwealth residents have already cast 1.4 million ballots this year, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. That’s more than the 1.2 million who used early voting in 2021, and could set the stage for Virginia to surpass the roughly 3.3 million votes cast four years ago.
That’s a good sign for the commonwealth. It’s critical that state elections reflect the public will, and healthy turnout helps ensure that the outcome is truly representative of what Virginians want to see for their commonwealth and their communities.
For those needing a little extra information prior to casting a ballot, reporters from The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press have spent recent months compiling profiles of the candidates in local and statewide races. Voters can find all our stories about the election at pilotonline.com/electionguide or dailypress.com/electionguide.
Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m., though anyone in line at 7 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot. Find your polling place by visiting the Department of Elections website (elections.virginia.gov) and remember that Virginia allows same-day voting registration, so there’s no excuse for missing out.
The campaigns are at an end. All that’s left is for voters to have their say. Please make time to cast a ballot today and help chart a course for Virginia’s future.
