Voter Guide

Some of the features in this Voter Guide were made possible through the Knight Election Center and a grant from Microsoft. For questions about this Voter Guide, contact us at news@cardinalnews.org.

Who’s on your ballot?

Welcome to our 2026 Voter Guide. To see who’s on your locality’s ballot, we’ve created election pages (below, under “Elections by Locality”) for each of Virginia’s 133 counties and cities.

If you spot any errors or omissions, please let us know at elections@cardinalnews.org.

Elections by locality

What we’re voting on this year

Virginians this year will vote on:

  • A U.S. Senator: Democratic incumbent Mark Warner faces Republican Bert Mizusawa.
  • U.S. House of Representatives: There will be contested races in all 11 districts.
  • Three proposed amendments to the state constitution: They deal with abortion/reproductive rights, civil rights restoration for felons, same-sex marriage. (See more detailed explanations below).
  • Some localities will have local elections for city council and other offices.
  • Some localities will also hold referendums on local issues.
The localities in blue will be holding referendums on whetther to raise the sales tax by 1% with the money going to school construction.
The localities in blue will be holding referendums on whetther to raise the sales tax by 1% with the money going to school construction.
These localities will be holding other types of local referendums.
These localities will be holding other types of local referendums

For details about who or what is on your ballot, look up your locality under “Elections by Locality” above.

Virginia election dates for 2026

September 18: Early voting begins for the November general election.

October 23: Deadline to register to vote, if you’re not already registered, without having to cast a provisional ballot.

October 31: Early voting ends.

November 3: General election day.

For more details, see the Virginia Department of Elections.

Which congressional district are you in?

Virginia will be using the same congressional map it’s used since the 2022 elections:

Virginia's current congressional districts,approved in late 2021. Courtesy of Twotwofourtysix.
Virginia’s current congressional districts, approved in late 2021. Courtesy of Twotwofourtysix.

We have more detailed maps of each district on the locality pages under “elections by locality”

How do I vote?

About the proposed constitutional amendments

See this explanatory story by Cardinal’s Elizabeth Beyer: “Virginians will weigh in on 3 changes to their state constitution this fall. Here’s a look at the proposed amendments.”

QUESTION 1: Abortion / reproductive rights: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) protect the freedom to make personal decisions about prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion, miscarriage management, and fertility care; (ii) protect doctors, nurses, and patients from being punished for these decisions; and (iii) allow for restrictions on access to abortion during the third trimester of pregnancy except when the patient’s health is at risk or the pregnancy cannot survive?

This declares that reproductive freedom is a “fundamental right,” which it defines as including “prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, abortion care, miscarriage management, and fertility care.” The amendment says “the Commonwealth may regulate the provision of abortion care in the third trimester, provided that in no circumstance shall the Commonwealth prohibit an abortion” if a doctor seems such a procedure necessary. You can read the full language of the amendment here.

QUESTION 2: Same-sex marriage: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) remove the ban on same-sex marriage; (ii) affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race; and (iii) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law?

The U.S. Supreme Court in 2015 upheld the right to a same-sex marriage. However, the Virginia constitution still retains now-moot language banning same-sex marriage, the so-called Marshall-Newman Amendment of 2006. This amendment would repeal that previous amendment and add language to guarantee the right to a same-sex marriage in case the U.S. Supreme Court ever reverses itself. You can read the full language of the amendment here.

QUESTION 3: Restoration of rights: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended (i) to provide for the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth, (ii) to revise the qualifications of voters so that a person convicted of a felony is not entitled to vote during his period of incarceration but is automatically invested with the right to vote upon release from incarceration, and (iii) to update the existing prohibition on voting by persons found to be mentally incompetent to instead apply to persons who have been found to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting?

Virginia is one of only two states where felons are permanantly barred from voting unless the governor intervenes. This amendment would automatically restore those rights after a sentence has been served. You can read the full language of the amendment here.

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Where the candidates stand

We’ve sent questionnaires to all the candidates. The responses from the candidates for U.S. Senate and U.S. House are below. If a space is blank, it means the candidate hasn’t responded despite multiple requests. Use the pull-down menu to see the 11 different House races. For local candidates and their responses, look up your locality under “Elections By Locality” above.

For your convenience, those locality pages also include the Senate candidates and the House candidates for that county or city so if you don’t want to use the pull-down menu here to find your congressional district, you can just go to your locality’s specific page to get both your congressional race and any local offices on the ballot in your community.

How elections work

Youtube video

In conjunction with the nonpartisan group Keep Our Republic, Cardinal has produced this video interview with three registrars about how the election process works: Jacquelynne “Jackie” Harris, chief deputy registrar in Nelson County; Derek Lyall, general registrar and director of elections in Washington County and Blakley Morris, general registrar and director of elections for the city of Bristol. Cardinal’s Dutchie Jessee is the host.

Your support matters

Our Virginia Voter Guide is made possible by your membership and contributions. Your support enables us to provide comprehensive candidate information, election coverage and public Q&A sessions. Sign up now to help us continue this important work and keep Virginia voters informed!

Become a Member

Where is my polling place?

Find my polling place

How to vote

Can I vote with an out-of-state or expired license? 

Yes. If you get to your polling place without an acceptable ID, you can sign a statement affirming your identity and vote on a regular ballot, according to the Virginia Department of Elections. If your license is expired, you can still use it to vote.

How can I vote by mail in Virginia?

For June primaries: You can request a mail-in ballot for the primary election until June 14.

For fall elections: You can request a mail-in ballot for the primary election until October 24.

Request the mail-in ballot on Virginia’s election portal, or by mailing an application for an absentee ballot to your local voter registration office. You can find the address for your voter registration office on the Virginia Department of Elections website.

You can also request an absentee ballot up to 11 days until the deadline. After the deadline, only emergency absentee ballots are available until the day before the election. To qualify for an emergency absentee ballot, you need to have a serious conflict (like a work conflict, or a health issue of an immediate family member).

Can I vote early in-person?

Yes. You can vote early in-person at your local registrar’s office. You can find the location of the general registrar’s office in your jurisdiction and read more about early voting on the Virginia Department of Elections’ website.

When do polls open?

Polls will be open between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Election Day.

If you are in line by 7 p.m., you will be allowed to vote.

Can I vote from jail in Virginia? 

In many cases, yes. If you do not have a felony conviction, or if the governor has restored your right to vote after a felony conviction, you can vote – even from jail. This includes if you are being detained awaiting your court date, or are in jail for a misdemeanor conviction. 

If you have a felony conviction, you can petition the governor to restore your voting rights.

Not sure if you’re eligible to vote?

Check your registration status at virginia.gov.

You can also check out Virginia’s list of voter rights, and read ProPublica’s guide on voting accessibility for more information.