Visit WTOP’s Virginia Election 2023 page for our comprehensive coverage.
Virginia voters cast ballots on Election Day to decide which party will control the Virginia Legislature — as well as a slew of local races for school and county boards.
The outcome in Virginia — among just four states with legislative elections this year — will be closely scrutinized nationwide for hints of what may come in the 2024 presidential cycle.
Here’s what you need to know.
Where to find results
WTOP is updating results on legislative districts and local races online and on the air as votes are counted Tuesday night. Polls closed in Virginia at 7 p.m.
Several jurisdictions in Maryland are also holding local elections Tuesday, and WTOP is following those contests and updating results continuously.
What’s on voters’ minds?
Polls have indicated abortion is a key issue in the election.
After the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade’s decision last year, Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin moved to ban abortion after 15 weeks with exceptions for rape, incest and when the life of the mother is at stake.
But that move was blocked by the Democratic-controlled state Senate.
With control of both chambers up for grabs Tuesday, that could change next year.
“If Republicans control both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s office, you can expect significant restrictions on abortion in Virginia,” Stephen Farnsworth, a political-science professor at the University of Mary Washington, told WTOP last month.
Leading up to the election, Youngkin has leaned into the issue, calling his proposal a reasonable consensus position.
Some who have already voted said abortion rights topped their concerns. Youngkin has pledged to try again for an abortion ban after 15 weeks with exceptions for rape, incest and situations where the mother’s life is at risk.
Stephanie Greene, who voted Tuesday morning at the Fairfax County Government Center, told WTOP abortion rights was one of the key issues that drove her to vote today.
“The woman and the doctor really need to be able to make that decision,” Greene said.
Voting underway at Sudley United Methodist Church, near Manassas Battlefield, in Prince William, Virginia. pic.twitter.com/KMczEzbGC1
— Neal Augenstein (@AugensteinWTOP) November 7, 2023
She said maintaining civil liberties is key: “My right as a female to have control over myself … The right to basic free speech … The right to be who I am.”
Other voters said Youngkin had landed on a reasonable position.
Retiree Scott McKenzie, 78, voted early for Republicans in Virginia Beach. He said he’s comfortable with a 15-week ban and supports some of the same exceptions as Youngkin.
“On the one hand, I support right for life. But on the other hand, there’s times when a young lady maybe did not have a choice,” he said.
Referring to the issue of abortion rights, Chair of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee Bryan Graham said Youngkin “has made his agenda fairly clear.”
Pocketbook issues are also weighing heavily on voters’ minds.
According to a recent poll from the Wason Center at Virginia’s Christopher Newport University, the No. 1 issue for voters across the state was “the economy and inflation.”
Saying “there’s a lot at stake,” Graham said his party is standing up for affordable health care, public education and better paying jobs: “Those are the things important to Democrats.”
For Republicans, issues of public safety, education and budgeting top the list, according to Chair of the Fairfax County Republican Committee Steve Knotts.
“Where’s the money going to go? Especially here in the local elections, Fairfax County has a six-plus-billion-dollar budget and that’s a lot of money. People see their property taxes going up and they want to make sure that money is spent wisely. So, those are the issues that are there,” Knotts said.
Mark Burton, 62, lives in Occoquan and said the issue of public safety drove him to vote Tuesday afternoon.
“Crime is a big factor for me,” he said, adding that he doesn’t vote strictly down party lines. “The amount of crime going on around the area, not just in Prince William but the metro area in general is out of control in my mind.”
Turnout
Several Virginia counties provided updates on voter turnout throughout the day.
Here are the latest figures:
Loudoun County: As of 4 p.m., approximately 22.27% of registered voters had turned out to vote on Election Day. Combined with early voting and mail-in ballots, voter turnout was just below 38% by late afternoon.
Fairfax County: Based on votes counted at polling places throughout Fairfax County, an estimated 19.3% of registered voters turned out on Election Day as of about 3:25 p.m. The total turnout, counting early votes and mail-in ballots, was around 33.4% late Tuesday afternoon.
Prince William County: More than 33,000 people in Prince William County had cast their vote in-person on Election Day, as of 1 p.m. The county office of elections said that’s more than 10% of the county’s registered voters, and that another 44,900 people have already voted early or by mail.
Arlington County: As of 5 p.m., approximately 23% of registered voters in Arlington had voted on Election Day. Another 12% voted early or by mail.
Races to watch
Every seat in the Virginia House of Delegates and state Senate is on the ballot. Heading into Election Day, Republicans held a narrow majority in the 100-member House of Delegates and Democrats held a similarly slim majority in the 40-member state Senate.
Polls have indicated the contest for control of both chambers is basically a dead heat. All eyes are on a handful of tossup districts across the state — including a few in Northern Virginia.
Many of the closely watched competitive districts went for Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election and then flipped support to Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2021.
In House District 21, which includes part of Prince William County, Republican John Stirrup, who served on the county’s board of supervisors from 2003-2011, is facing Democratic newcomer Josh Thomas, an attorney and former Marine Corps officer, in the contest for the open seat.
In House District 22, which is in the Manassas area of Prince William County, Democrat Travis Nembhard, a former attorney and D.C. administrative law judge, is facing Republican Ian Lovejoy, a small-business owner and former Manassas City Council member.
In House District 57, which is in suburban Richmond, Democrat Susanna Gibson — who proceeded with her campaign after news broke that she had performed sex acts with her husband in live videos posted on a pornographic website — aims to prevail over Republican David Owen even after some party support wilted away following the controversy.
House District 65, which runs through parts of Stafford and Spotsylvania counties as well as Fredericksburg City, is also an open seat. Democrat Joshua Cole, a pastor and president of the Stafford County NAACP, previously represented another district before losing in 2021. He faces Republican challenger Lee Peters, a Marine and captain in the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office.
One of the most closely watched races in the state Senate is District 31, which includes parts of Loudoun and Fauquier counties. Republican Juan Pablo Segura, the founder of a maternal health care startup, is facing off against Democrat Russet Perry, a former prosecutor and ex-CIA officer.
In Senate District 27 — in Fredericksburg, plus parts of Stafford and Spotsylvania counties —
Republican Del. Tara Durant is competing against Democrat Joel Griffin and independent candidate Monica Gary in another competitive district that has drawn tons of interest heading into Election Day.
Local races
In addition to the state legislative races, voters are being asked to weigh in on local races.
One closely watched local race is in Loudoun County, where Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj, a Democrat, is facing a challenge from Republican Bob Anderson as she runs for a second term as the county’s top prosecutor.
Biberaj, who has faced criticism over her day-to-day management of the office, defeated a primary challenge in June.
Anderson previously held the office in the late 1990s and early 2000s but also faced criticism for his handling of the office.
In Fairfax County, a school board race was thrust into the spotlight after one of the candidates was briefly disqualified from the ballot — and then reinstated — while early voting was already underway.
Marcia C. St. John-Cunning, who is running to be the Fairfax County School Board’s Franconia representative, was disqualified from appearing on the ballot by a judge’s Oct. 25 ruling that found some of the paperwork used to support her candidacy did not have the correct address.
She was reinstated to the ballot a week later after the judge allowed her to submit additional signatures.
Tune in to 103.5 FM or listen live online to WTOP’s team coverage, the latest news and analysis of the 2023 Virginia election.
The WTOP News team and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
