Botetourt County voters this year will vote on a U.S. senator (Democrat Mark Warner will face the winner of an Aug. 4 congressional primary), a U.S. House member (the county is divided between the 6th and 9th districts), and three proposed constitutional amendments (guaranteeing a right to a same-sex marriage, enshrining a right to an abortion, and automatically restoring civil rights to felons after they’ve served their time.)
Primary election
June 18*: Early voting begins for August 4 primaries. (The official start date for early voting is June 19 but the Department of Elections advises: “If the local office is closed on June 19 for the Juneteenth state holiday, then the office shall be open for early voting on Thursday, June 18.“)
August 4: Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
General election
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: Virginians will be voting for a U.S. senator, members of the U.S. House, various local offices and three proposed constitutional amendments.
For more details, see the Virginia Department of Elections.
About the proposed constitutional amendments
- Abortion: This will guarantee the right to an abortion in Virginia.
- Restoration of rights: 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.
- Same-sex marriage: 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. This amendment would repeal that language and add language to guarantee the right to a same-sex marriage in case the U.S. Supreme Court ever reverses itself.
Who the candidates are
U.S. Senate: Democratic incumbent Mark Warner; the Republican primary candidates are Kim Farrington, Bert Mizusawa, David Williams.
U.S. House (6th District): Republican Ben Cline (incumbent) and Democrat Beth Macy.
U.S. House (9th District): Republican Morgan Griffith (incumbent) will face the winner of the Aug. 4 Democratic primary between Douglas Crockett, Adam Murphy and Joy Powers.
Where the candidates stand
We’ve sent a questionnaire to the three candidates running in the Aug. 4 primary for the Republican Senate nomination and Democrat House nomination in the 9th District. We’ll publish their responses here.
Once the ballot for the fall election is set, we’ll send a similar questionnaire to all the candidates on the general election ballot.
How to keep up with Virginia politics
You can sign up for either our daily newsletter, our weekly roundup or our weekly political newsletter, West of the Capital:
Where is 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?
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.
