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. This opening page is up to date. To see who’s on your locality’s ballot, we’ve created election pages (below, under “Elections by Locality”) for each county and city. We are now in the process of updating those 133 pages for the fall election. We’ll let you know when that update is complete.

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. We’ll be updating these details on each locality page.
  • Some localities will also hold referendums on whether to raise the local sales tax with the revenue going to schools. Localities have until Aug. 14 to decide whether to do this; we’ll also have that information on each locality page when it’s available.

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

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: Virginians will be voting for a U.S. senator, members of the U.S. House, and various local offices.

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 below.

How do I vote?

About the proposed constitutional amendments

  • Abortion / reproductive rights: 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.
  • 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 after a sentence has been served. You can read the full language of the amendment here.
  • 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, 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.

Are you missing Virginia’s biggest political stories? Sign up for free here.

Where the candidates stand

Once the ballot is set, we’ll send questionnaires to all the candidates. We’ll be posting the U.S. Senate candidates here and other candidates on the pages of the localities where they’re running.

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.