Early voting in Virginia’s primary elections for U.S. House and Senate seats is underway.
Primary elections are June 18, but in-person early voting takes place through June 15. Races on the ballot in November include one of Virginia’s U.S. Senate seats and all 11 House of Representatives seats. But not every seat will have a primary election.
Races with primaries in Hampton Roads:
- U.S. Senate seat — Republican primary
- 1st Congressional District — Democratic primary
- 2nd Congressional District — Democratic primary
No Democrats are challenging Sen. Tim Kaine in the primary, but five Republicans are competing to run against him in November. They are Hung Cao, Edward “Eddie” Garcia Jr., Jonathan Emord, C.L. “Chuck” Smith, Jr., and Scott Parkinson.
Three congressional districts represent areas in Hampton Roads, and Democratic primaries will be held in two. In the 1st District, Leslie Mehta and Herbert Jones Jr. will compete in the June primary to run against Republican Rep. Rob Wittman in November. The district includes portions of suburban Richmond down through York and James City counties, Williamsburg and Poquoson.
In the 2nd District, Missy Cotter Smasal and Jeremiah “Jake” Denton IV will vie for the Democratic nomination. The winner will challenge Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans in what is considered among the most competitive House races in the nation. Kiggans unseated Elaine Luria in 2022. The district spans the Eastern Shore, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Isle of Wight and Franklin.
There are no primaries for the 3rd District seat, held by Democrat Bobby Scott. The district includes all of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton and Newport News, and part of Chesapeake.
Virginia is an open primary state, meaning voters can request a Democratic or Republican ballot. All qualified voters may vote in either primary, but not both. Voting in a party’s primary does not mean the voter will be “registered” with that party, as the state does not have party registration.
Registered voters who want to vote early in-person should go to the general registrar’s office for the jurisdiction where they are registered. Voters can find the location of the registrar’s office for all jurisdictions on the Virginia Department of Elections’ website at: vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation/PublicContactLookup.
Newport News also is offering early in-person voting on some days at City Center Fountain Plaza at 700 Town Center Drive. For information on dates and times, check elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/early-voting-office-locations/.
For a list of acceptable forms of identification, visit: elections.virginia.gov/registration/voterid/.
Requested absentee ballots will be mailed, including ballots to registered military and overseas voters. Registered voters can request an absentee ballot either in-person, by mail, online (vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation/Lookup/absentee) or by contacting their general registrar’s office. No reason is needed to request an absentee ballot. The deadline to request ballot by mail is June 7.
Voters can drop off their absentee ballot at the general registrar’s office or polling location on Election Day. If voters return absentee ballots by mail, the ballots must be postmarked on or before June 18.
The deadline to register to vote in the primary and to cast a regular ballot is May 28. Anyone who registers after that date, including on the day of the primary, can vote using a provisional ballot.
Andrea Noble, andrea.noble@virginiamedia.com.
