Polls have closed, and the counting begins for the candidates for top prosecutor, state legislature, county board and more, ahead of a potentially game-changing Virginia election this November.
Check back for updates from WTOP, including latest election results. Stay with WTOP.com for live results and analysis. Listen online or on the air at 103.5 FM.
- 2023 Virginia Primary Election Results
- Virginia voter guide: 2023 primary election
- A guide to Virginia’s primaries for Commonwealth’s Attorney
- Use this tool to find out where to vote.
- Voted by mail? Track its progress online. Fairfax County residents should track their ballot here instead.
Ranked choice voting on the ballot in Arlington County
In Arlington County, WTOP’s Luke Lukert reported earlier from a polling station at Cardinal Elementary School in Centreville. Arlington is using ranked-choice voting in its county board election. It’s the first time ranked-choice voting is being used in the commonwealth.
Some found the ranked-choice voting system to be simple, while others encountered issues initially.
“I did find it confusing, and in fact, on my first try, my ballot was rejected,” Carol Davidson told WTOP, adding that she was eventually able to cast her vote.
Tom Bardo said that even though he found the system easy, he was unsure that ranked-choice voting would work well at races above the county level.
“It’s sort of a local experiment because I know that for the list of candidates for county board, there’s just a ton of people; and so you definitely have more options for ranking than, say a general presidential election,” Bardo said.
Other voters said the ability to rank choice encouraged them to become more educated about multiple candidates.
Voter Daniel Jenkins said that ranked choice voting might be more difficult with smaller races, especially if voters are seeing the candidates’ names for the first time.
“For the first time ever, I actually stopped and talked to people who had literature and saw some old friends who used to be on the board and checked in with them,” voter Jackie Scott said. “I think it behooves you to be more educated in this part of the process.
Voting the old-fashioned way in Loudoun County
WTOP’s Neal Augenstein provided updates from a polling place in Loudoun County Tuesday morning. Even with options to vote early or by mail, some voters said they preferred the old-school method of voting in person on Election Day.
“I feel like if people in the community see people making the effort to actually get out of bed or take time from their workday to go vote, it inspires others to go vote, as well,” one voter told WTOP.
That Loudoun County resident, who said that he has voted in every election since he was 18 years old, was motivated to vote by the Commonwealth’s Attorney race.
“The prosecutor can really set the tone about how criminals are going to be treated,” he told WTOP.
Incumbent Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj is facing a challenge from fellow Democrat and defense Attorney Elizabeth Lancaster.
A house divided … for now
While state primaries can be difficult to draw conclusions from due to the small share of the electorate that take part in them, some local races could be bellwethers for control of Virginia’s near evenly divided state legislature.
In Northern Virginia, reform-minded prosecutors face a hurdle as they confront opponents who present themselves as superior managers, amid allegations of mishandled cases and concerns over rising crime.
Elsewhere in the state, the Democratic primary in the 13th Senate District will be one to watch closely, where the candidates’ positions on abortion have played a key role in the year since the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Republicans won a narrow 52-48 majority in the house of delegates during the 2021 elections. This year, they aim for a definitive hold on the state’s legislative agenda by winning back the state Senate, which Democrats currently control by a 22-18 majority.
In the 2022 general election, election night updates wrapped up around 11:30 p.m. Historically, Virginia counts at least 97% of votes by noon the next day.
Arlington’s use of ranked choice voting in its county board election means tabulating that race might take up to a week after the polls close. That delay, however, isn’t expected to impact other elections on the ballot.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
