Virginians are headed to the polls today to elect their next governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and all 100 members of the House of Delegates. This race is a contentious one, and more than a million people have already casted their votes.
But if you have been trying to keep your sanity in tact by not following all of the political chaos, you may have some questions about Election Day.
Who are the candidates?
The candidates for the governor’s race are Democrat Terry McAuliffe, who served as governor between 2014 and 2018; Republican Glenn Youngkin, who is a first-time candidate; and Princess Blanding, who is running under the Libertarian Party.
Delegate Hala Ayala and Republican Winsome Sears are competing for the spot of lieutenant governor. If either are elected, they would become Virginia’s first woman of color lieutenant governor.
Attorney General Mark Herring is running for re-election, and Delegate Jason Miyares running against him as a first-time candidate.
You can find more information about the statewide and House of delegate candidates on the Virgina Department of Elections’ website.
If you want to know more about the local races, you can find more information on the websites of the following counties and cities:
- Arlington County
- City of Alexandria
- City of Fairfax
- Fairfax County
- Falls Church
- Fauquier County
- Loudoun County
- Manassas
- Manassas Park
- Prince William County
- Stafford County
I didn’t vote early. Where can I vote?
Voters can look up their polling place based on their address on the Department of Elections’ website.
What time do the polls close?
The polls will be open until 7 PM on Tuesday. Voters who are in line by 7 PM will be allowed to vote.
Are there any rules that I need to follow while voting?
Voters must show one form of identification vote in the election. You can find a list of acceptable IDs here. Any voter who doesn’t have an acceptable form of identification may sign a statement that they are the named registered voter who they claim to be or vote with a provisional ballot. You will need to submit a copy of a valid ID by noon on Friday, November 5.
How can I report voter intimidation?
If you have a complaint regarding your voting experience, you can send a letter to the Virginia Department of Elections, file an informal complaint form online, or send an email to info@elections.virginia.gov.
When will the results be released?
The polls show that governor’s race is tight between Youngkin and McAuliffe, so it is possible that the race will be too close to call on election night. While the in-person and absentee ballots will be tabulated after the polls close at 7 PM, mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day that arrive by noon on Friday still need to be counted.
Before becoming Research Editor, Damare Baker was an Editorial Fellow and Assistant Editor for Washingtonian. She has previously written for Voice of America and The Hill. She is a graduate of Georgetown University, where she studied international relations, Korean, and journalism.
