Virginia State Senate elections, 2019

Elections in Virginia, 2019

• Primary: June 11
• General election: Nov. 5
• Voter registration deadline: Oct. 15
• Early voting: N/A
• Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 2

• Online registration: Yes
• Same-day registration: No
• Voter ID: Photo ID required
• Poll times: 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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On the ballot: State Senate • State House • Special state legislative • School boards • Municipal • 

2023 → ← 2015
2019 Virginia Senate Elections
General	November 5, 2019

Past Election Results

2015・2011・2007

2019 Elections
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Democrats gained control of the Virginia State Senate on November 5, 2019, winning a 21-19 majority. Heading into the election, Republicans held a 20-19 majority with one vacancy in a seat previously held by a Republican. All 40 seats were up for election.

Districts 10 and 13 were held by Republicans heading into the election but were won by Democratic candidates. Ghazala Hashmi (D) defeated Sen. Glen Sturtevant (R) 54-46 in the District 10 race, while Del. John Bell (D) defeated Geary Higgins (R) 54-46 in the District 13 race for the seat held by Sen. Richard Black (R).

The elections occurred against the backdrop of the 2017 state House elections when Democrats gained 15 seats. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) won 25 of the 40 senate districts in the 2017 gubernatorial election. Read more about the 2017 elections here.

The elections determined control of Virginia’s government heading into congressional and state legislative redistricting after the 2020 Census. Because Democrats won both chambers of the legislature, they had a trifecta and full control of the government during redistricting. Gov. Northam served through 2021 and could veto new maps.

"Beyond the Headlines: Virginia's 2019 elections"

Ballotpedia identified seven districts as battlegrounds in 2019. Democrats held one district (District 39) entering the election. Republicans held the other six districts (Districts 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, and 17) entering the election. Read more about the battleground races here.

Elections for all 40 seats in the Virginia State Senate were up in 2019. The primary was on June 11, 2019, and the general election was on November 5. Virginia state senators serve four-year terms.

The Virginia State Senate was one of seven state legislative chambers with regular elections in 2019. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.

Virginia primary voter? Dates you need to know.
Candidate Filing Deadline	March 28, 2019
Primary Election Registration Deadline	May 20, 2019
Primary Election	June 11, 2019
General Election Registration Deadline	October 15, 2019
General Election	November 5, 2019
Voting information
Primary Type	Hybrid
Photo ID?	Yes
Polling place hours	6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Click here to read more about the 2019 Virginia House of Delegates elections.
Click here to read more about the 2017 Virginia House of Delegates elections.

Click here to read more about the 2019 Virginia Democratic state legislative primaries.
Click here to read more about the 2019 Virginia Republican state legislative primaries.

This election was a battleground race. Other 2019 battlegrounds included:

City elections in Seattle, Washington (2019) Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, 2019

Districts

See also: Virginia state legislative districts

Use the interactive map below to find your district.

Candidates

The candidate lists below are based on candidate filing lists provided by the Virginia Department of Elections. (I) denotes an incumbent.

Incumbents retiring

Three incumbents did not run for re-election in 2019. Those incumbents were:

Retiring incumbents
Name	Party	Office
Frank Wagner	Republican	Senate District 7
Richard Black	Republican	Senate District 13
Bill Carrico	Republican	Senate District 40

Primary candidates

Virginia State Senate primary candidates
Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name. = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office	Democratic	Republican	Other
District 1	The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 2	The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 3	The Democratic primary was canceled.	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 4	The Democratic primary was canceled.	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 5	The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 6	Lynwood Lewis (i)   Willie Randall
District 7	Susan Bates Hippen Kim Howard   Cheryl Turpin	Jennifer Kiggans   Carolyn Weems
District 8	The Democratic primary was canceled.	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 9	The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 10	Zachary Brown Ghazala Hashmi   Eileen McNeil Bedell
District 11	Amanda Pohl   E. Wayne Powell
District 12	Veena Gupta Lothe   Debra Rodman
District 13		Geary Higgins Ron Meyer Jr.
District 14	The Democratic primary was canceled.	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 15		Frank Ruff (i) Dale Sturdifen
District 16	Roz Dance (i) Joseph Morrissey
District 17	S. Ben Hixon   Amy Laufer	Bryce Reeves (i) Rich Breeden
District 18	The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 19	The Democratic primary was canceled.	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 20		The Republican primary was canceled.
District 21	The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 22	The Democratic primary was canceled.	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 23		The Republican primary was canceled.
District 24		Emmett Hanger (i) Tina Freitas
District 25	The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 26	The Democratic primary was canceled.	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 27	The Democratic primary was canceled.	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 28	Qasim Rashid Laura Sellers
District 29	The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 30	The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 31	Barbara Favola (i) Nicole Merlene
District 32	The Democratic primary was canceled.	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 33	Jennifer Boysko (i) Mohammed Sharafat Hussain
District 34	The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 35	Dick Saslaw (i) Yasmine Taeb   Karen Elena Torrent
District 36	The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 37	The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 38		The Republican primary was canceled.
District 39	The Democratic primary was canceled.	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 40		The Republican primary was canceled.

Seats flipped

The below map displays each seat in the Virginia State Senate which changed partisan hands as a result of the 2019 elections, shaded according to the partisan affiliation of the winner in 2019. Hover over a shaded district for more information.

State legislative seats flipped in 2019, Virginia State Senate
District	Incumbent	2019 winner	Direction of flip
Virginia State Senate District 10	Glen Sturtevant	Ghazala Hashmi	R to D
Virginia State Senate District 13	Richard Black	John Bell	R to D

2019 battleground chamber

Ballotpedia identified the Virginia State Senate as one of three battleground chambers in 2019. These were chambers that we anticipated to be, overall, more competitive than other chambers and had the potential to see significant shifts in party control.

The chamber was selected because it met the following conditions:

• Competitive seats: These seats were last up in 2015. Three seats won by Republicans had a margin of victory that was less than 10 percent. Three seats won by Democrats had a margin of victory that was less than 10 percent. Two of the Republican seats were open because the incumbents were not seeking re-election. See the 2019 races to watch here.

• Majority held less than 55 percent of seats: Republicans controlled 21 of 40 seats, which is 52.5 percent of the total.

• 2016 presidential election results: Hillary Clinton (D) won four districts that elected Republicans to the state Senate in 2015, including two districts with retired incumbents. Donald Trump (R) did not win any Democratic-controlled districts. See the 2016 presidential results in state legislative districts here.

Virginia State Senate Party Control: 1991-2015

Party	91	95	99	03	07	11	15
Democrats	22	20	19	16	21	20	19
Republicans	18	20	21	24	19	20	21

Battleground races

Virginia State Senate Battleground races
Democratic seats
District 39
Republican seats
District 7
District 8
District 10
District 12
District 13
District 17

Ballotpedia identified seven battleground races in the Virginia State Senate 2019 elections: one Democratic seat and six Republican seats. Based on analysis of these districts' electoral histories, these races had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could possibly have led to shifts in a chamber's partisan balance.

To determine state legislative battleground races in 2019, Ballotpedia looked for races that fit one or more of the five factors listed below:

1. If the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in the most recent election prior to 2019
2. If the presidential candidate opposite of the incumbent's party won the district in the 2016 elections and the incumbent’s margin of victory in the previous election was 10 percentage points or less
3. If the presidential candidate opposite of the incumbent's party won the district in the 2016 elections and the incumbent did not file to run for re-election
4. If the presidential candidate opposite of the incumbent's party won the district in the 2016 elections by 20 points or more
5. If the presidential candidate opposite of the incumbent's party won the district in the 2016 elections and the gubernatorial candidate opposite of the incumbent's party won the district in the 2017 gubernatorial election

Other factors could also cause a race to be classified as a battleground. For example, Ballotpedia may have considered an election to be a battleground race if an outside group or a national or state party announced that they were targeting a specific seat in order to flip it. We may have also determined a race to be a battleground if it received an unusual amount of media attention. Two additional factors were open seats and districts impacted by redistricting.

The chart below lists each battleground district, the party of the pre-election incumbent, and the party that won the district in the 2017 gubernatorial and 2016 presidential elections.

Virginia State Senate battleground districts, 2019
District	Pre-election incumbent	2017 gubernatorial result	2016 presidential result
District 7	Republican	Democratic	Democratic
District 8	Republican	Democratic	Republican
District 10	Republican	Democratic	Democratic
District 12	Republican	Democratic	Democratic
District 13	Republican	Democratic	Democratic
District 17	Republican	Democratic	Republican
District 39	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic

District 7

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

Cheryl Turpin Jennifer Kiggans

What made this a battleground race?

This was a Republican-held district that Hillary Clinton (D) won in the 2016 presidential election and the incumbent retired. Incumbent Frank Wagner (R) won re-election in 2015 by 8 points. Clinton carried District 5 by 0.2 points in the 2016 presidential election. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) won this district in the 2017 gubernatorial election.

District 8

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

Missy Cotter Smasal Bill DeSteph (incumbent)

What made this a battleground race?

This was a Republican-held district that Ralph Northam (D) won in the 2017 gubernatorial election. Northam carried the district by half a percentage point in 2017. DeSteph won reelection in 2015 by 18 percent.

District 10

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

Ghazala Hashmi Glen Sturtevant (incumbent)

What made this a battleground race?

This was a Republican-held district that Hillary Clinton (D) won in the 2016 presidential election and the incumbent won in the previous election by less than 10 percentage points. Incumbent Glen Sturtevant (R) was first elected in 2015. He received 49.8 percent of the vote and defeated his Democratic opponent by 2.6 points. Clinton carried District 10 by 31.1 points in the 2016 presidential election. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) won this district in the 2017 gubernatorial election.

District 12

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

Debra Rodman Siobhan Dunnavant (incumbent)

What made this a battleground race?

This was a Republican-held district that Hillary Clinton (D) won in the 2016 presidential election and Gov. Ralph Northam (D) won in the 2017 gubernatorial election. Clinton carried District 12 by 3.1 points in the 2016 presidential election. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) won this district in the 2017 gubernatorial election.

District 13

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

John Bell Geary Higgins

This was a Republican-held district that Hillary Clinton (D) won in the 2016 presidential election and the incumbent retired. Incumbent Richard Black (R) won re-election in 2015 by 5 points. Clinton carried District 13 by 8.2 points in the 2016 presidential election. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) won this district in the 2017 gubernatorial election.

District 17

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

Amy Laufer Bryce Reeves (incumbent)

This was a Republican-held district that Ralph Northam (D) won in the 2017 gubernatorial election. Northam carried the district by 0.02 percent in 2017. Reeves was unopposed for re-election in the 2015 general election, and defeated a Democratic incumbent to win the seat by 0.6 percent in 2011.

District 39

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Democratic Party

Who were the candidates running?

George Barker (incumbent) S.W. Hillenburg

This was a district where the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in the most recent election. Incumbent George Barker (D) won re-election in 2014, receiving 54 percent of the vote and defeating his Republican opponent by 8 points.

Background

2016 presidential election results

The 2019 Senate elections were the first elections to take place since the 2016 presidential election. In the that election, 23 Senate districts voted for Hillary Clinton (D) and 17 voted for Donald Trump (R).

The chart below shows the four districts that voted for Clinton and had a Republican senator. There were no districts that voted for Trump and had a Democratic senator. To see the results in each Senate district, visit this spreadsheet, which was produced by Daily Kos.

Split districts
District	Officeholder	Clinton margin
7	Frank Wagner (R)	+0.2%
10	Glen Sturtevant (R)	+13.1%
12	Siobhan Dunnavant (R)	+3.1%
13	Richard Black (R)	+8.2%

2017 House elections

Democrats won 15 Republican-held seats in the November 2017 state House elections—their largest gains in the chamber since 1899—and decreased the GOP majority from 66-34 to 51-49. Unlike the state House, Virginia's 40 state Senate seats were not on the ballot in 2017. The last elections for the Senate were in 2015.

Fourteen of the 15 Democratic House victories in 2017 came in districts Hillary Clinton (D) won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton won a total of 17 Republican-held state House seats. Donald Trump (R) did not win any Democratic-held House seats.

State executive noteworthy events

Controversies involving Virginia’s top three executive officials (all Democrats) are in the backdrop for the Senate elections as well as elections for the state House, which Republicans control 51-49.

The three executive official controversies broke in February 2019:

• On Feb. 1, a website released pictures from Gov. Ralph Northam’s (D) medical school yearbook page showing a person in blackface. Northam said he was not in the yearbook photo.
• On Feb. 3 and Feb. 8, respectively, Vanessa Tyson and Meredith Watson accused Lieutenant Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) of sexually assaulting them. Fairfax said the allegations were false.
• On Feb. 6, Attorney General Mark Herring (D) released a statement saying he wore blackface in college.

2017 gubernatorial results by district

There are six Republican-held districts that were won by Ralph Northam (D) in the 2017 gubernatorial election. Northam also won 19 Democratic-held senate districts, and Ed Gillespie (R) won 15 Republican-held districts. There are no districts won by Gillespie with a Democratic incumbent in 2019.

The following map details the results of the 2017 gubernatorial election by senate district.

Potential impact on trifecta status

See also: Trifecta vulnerability in the 2019 elections

Heading into the 2019 elections, Virginia had been under divided government since Gov. Mark Warner (D) took office in 2002. Gov. Ralph Northam was a Democrat while Republicans held majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. Virginia held elections for all 40 state Senate seats and all 100 state House seats. Because the governorship was not up for election, Republicans could not win a trifecta in 2019. In order to prevent Democrats from gaining a trifecta, Republicans needed to maintain their majority in at least one chamber of the legislature. In order to gain a trifecta, Democrats needed to win both.

While each chamber was controlled by a margin of one seat, Democrats needed to flip two or more seats in both chambers in order to avoid sharing power. Because Democrats needed to flip two out of 40 seats (5%) in the state Senate and two out of 100 seats (2%) in the state House in order to gain majorities, Ballotpedia rated the chances of a Democratic trifecta forming in Virginia as a moderate possibility.

Democrats won 21 state Senate seats to Republicans' 19, a net gain of two seats. In the state House, Democrats won 55 seats to Republicans' 45, a net gain of seven seats (including one seat which was vacant at the time of the election).

Campaign finance

Campaign finance information for each candidate by district is available through the Virginia Public Access Project. Click here to view that data.

According to The Washington Post, the following races had the most fundraising reported as of October 28:

• District 10 - $2.34 million

• Ghazala Hashmi (D) - $1.14 million
• Glen Sturtevant (R) - $1.2 million

• District 13 - $2.01 million

• John Bell (D) - $1.2 million
• Geary Higgins (R) - $809,000

• District 12 - $1.91 million

• Debra Rodman (D) - $1,000,000
• Siobhan Dunnavant (R) - $914,000

• District 7 - $1.50 million

• Cheryl Turpin (D) - $854,500
• Jennifer Kiggans (R) - $650,000

Timeline

• November 3, 2019: Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) appeared at a Democratic get-out-the-vote rally in Sterling, Virginia.

• September 10, 2019: Forward Majority announced it would spend $500,000 in 16 targeted races to fund digital ads and mailings.

• September 5, 2019: Everytown for Gun Safety announced that it would spend $573,000 across the state in efforts to give Democrats control of the legislature.

• June 11, 2019: Primary elections took place.

• March 28, 2019: The candidate filing deadline passed.

• March 7, 2019: District 7 Sen. Frank Wagner (R) announced his retirement. Hillary Clinton (D) won District 7 in the 2016 presidential election by 0.2 percentage points.

• January 2, 2019: The Loudoun Times-Mirror reported that District 13 Sen. Dick Black (R) would not seek re-election in 2019. Hillary Clinton (D) won District 13 in the 2016 presidential election by 8.2 percentage points.

Virginia political history

Party control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates and State government trifectas

Virginia State Senate
Party		As of November 5, 2019	After November 6, 2019
	Democratic Party	19	21
	Republican Party	20	19
	Vacancies	1	0
Total		40	40

Presidential politics in Virginia

2016 Presidential election results

U.S. presidential election, Virginia, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Electoral votes
	Democratic	Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine	49.7%	1,981,473	13
	Republican	Donald Trump/Mike Pence	44.4%	1,769,443	0
	Libertarian	Gary Johnson/Bill Weld	3%	118,274	0
	Green	Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka	0.7%	27,638	0
	Independent	Evan McMullin/Nathan Johnson	1.4%	54,054	0
	-	Other/Write-in	0.8%	33,749	0
Total Votes				3,984,631	13
Election results via: Federal Election Commission

Candidate and office information

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Virginia

See statutes: Title 24.2, Chapter 5 of the Election Code of Virginia

For partisan candidates

A political party candidate participating in a primary election must complete the candidate qualification certificate form for the office being sought. The form is a written statement (made under oath) indicating that the candidate is qualified to vote for and to hold the office for which he or she is a candidate. The form must be filed before a candidate can purchase a registered voter's list for petition purposes. A candidate for election to statewide office, the United States House of Representatives, or the Virginia General Assembly must file the statement with the Virginia State Board of Elections. A candidate for any other office must file the statement with the general registrar of the county or city where he or she resides.

A candidate must also file a written statement of economic interests if running for the state legislature, statewide office, a school board in a town or city with a population in excess of 3,500, or for constitutional office.

The candidate qualification certificate and statement of economic interests must be filed by the filing deadline for the primary.

The candidate must also file a declaration of candidacy and petition on or before the filing deadline for the election. The petition must contain the required number of signatures for the office being sought (signature requirements are summarized in the table below). Candidates seeking to participate in a primary election must also pay a primary filing fee. The filing fee is 2 percent of the minimum annual salary for the office being sought.

Signature requirements
Office sought	Signature requirements
Governor, United States Senate, and other statewide offices	10,000, including 400 qualified voters from each congressional district
United States House of Representatives	1,000
Virginia State Senate	250
Virginia House of Delegates	125

For independent candidates

An independent candidate for the United States House of Representatives or the United States Senate must file a declaration of candidacy, a petition, and a candidate qualification certificate form with the Virginia State Board of Elections. A candidate for statewide office or the Virginia General Assembly must file a declaration of candidacy form, a petition, a statement of economic interests form, and a candidate qualification certificate form. The candidate must file the required forms by 7:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday in June. A candidate for local office must file a declaration of candidacy, a petition, a statement of economic interests form, and a candidate qualification certificate form with the local authority in the county or city in which the office is being sought. The candidate must submit the required forms by 7:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday in June.

An independent candidate must gather the same number of petition signatures as partisan candidates. There are no filing fees for independent candidates.

For write-in candidates

Write-in votes are permitted in all elections but primaries. A voter may cast a write-in vote for any person other than the candidates for the given office listed on the ballot. Write-in candidates are not required to file any special forms in advance in order to have their votes tallied (except in the case of presidential and vice presidential candidates, who must file declarations of intent).

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Senators must be at least 21 years of age at the time of the election, residents of the district they represent, and qualified to vote for members of the Virginia General Assembly.

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislative salaries, 2024
Salary	Per diem
$18,000/year for senators. $17,640/year for delegates.	$213/day

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Virginia legislators assume office the second Wednesday in January after the election.

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Virginia utilizes an open primary process in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In Virginia, all polls open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Virginia, one must be a United States citizen, a resident of Virginia, and at least 18 years of age.

Registration can be completed online, in person at a local voter registration office, or by mail. Voters can also register at the following locations:

“	State or local government offices when applying or re-certifying for Aid to Dependent Children, Food Stamps, WIC, Medicaid, or Rehabilitation Services Government offices in the state that provide state-funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities Armed forces recruitment offices Public libraries Virginia Department of Elections office Department of Motor Vehicles offices Voter registration drives	”
—Virginia Department of Elections

The deadline to register is the 11th day before a primary or general election, but a voter may register to voter after this deadline through the state's same-day registration system and vote a provisional ballot.

Automatic registration

On April 12, 2020, Governor Ralph Northam (D) signed SB219 into law, establishing automatic voter registration for individuals conducting business with the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Virginia has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Virginia allows same-day voter registration in-person at local registrars' offices, satellite early voting sites during the early voting period, and at the precinct on Election Day.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Virginia, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Virginia does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, a voter who makes a materially false statement may be "sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, or up to 12 months in jail and/or fined up to $2,500."

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

This page, run by the Virginia Department of elections, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

According to the Department of Elections website, "All voters casting a ballot in-person will be asked to show one form of identification. Any voter who does not present acceptable identification may instead sign a statement, subject to felony penalties, that they are the named registered voter who they claim to be. Any voter who does not present acceptable identification or sign this statement must vote a provisional ballot."

The following documents were considered acceptable identification for voting as of May 2023:

• Virginia driver's license or DMV-issued ID card
• Valid employee ID, containing a photo, issued by the voter's employer in ordinary course of business
• U.S. military ID
• Valid student ID, containing a photo, issued by any public or private school college, or university
• Valid student ID issued by a public or private school high school, college, or university in Virginia (with or without a photo)
• Valid U.S. passport or passport card
• ID card issued by the federal government or a Virginia state or local authority.
• Voter ID card issued by the department of elections
• Voter confirmation documents
• Valid tribal enrollment or ID issued by one of the 11 tribes recognized in Virginia
• Government nursing home resident ID
• Any other current government document containing the name and address of the voter
• Signed ID Confirmation Statement

Early voting

Virginia permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website. Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

All Virginia voters are eligible to vote absentee/by mail. There are no special requirements to be eligible to vote absentee/by mail. Voters may request an absentee ballot online or complete a paper absentee ballot request form and return it to their local voter registration office by mail, fax, or email. Applications must be received by 5 p.m. at least 11 days before Election Day.

Completed ballots must be returned to the local registrar's office or an official drop off location by 7 p.m. on Election Day. If mailed, completed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received within three days of the election in order to be counted.

On April 12, 2020, Governor Ralph Northam (D) signed HB1 and SB111 into law, establishing no-excuse absentee voting 45 days prior to an election. The legislation was in effect for the November 3, 2020 election.

On the same day, Northam also signed HB238 and SB455, providing for absentee ballots postmarked on or before the date of an election to be counted if received by noon on the third day after the election.

Pivot counties

In the 2016 presidential election, Virginia was a battleground state. Hillary Clinton (D) won Virginia with 49.7 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 44.4 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Virginia voted Democratic 56.67 percent of the time and Republican 43.33 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Virginia voted Democratic three times (2008, 2012, and 2016) and Republican two times (2000 and 2004).

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County	Trump margin of victory in 2016	Obama margin of victory in 2012	Obama margin of victory in 2008
Buckingham County, Virginia	11.28%	2.43%	0.87%
Caroline County, Virginia	5.02%	8.24%	11.97%
Essex County, Virginia	2.14%	7.30%	10.35%
Nelson County, Virginia	5.59%	2.72%	9.15%
Westmoreland County, Virginia	7.14%	6.95%	10.24%

State profile

See also: Virginia and Virginia elections, 2019

Partisan data

The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019

Presidential voting pattern

• Virginia voted for the Democratic candidate in five out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Congressional delegation

• Following the 2018 elections, both U.S. Senators from Virginia were Democrats.
• Virginia had seven Democratic and four Republican U.S. Representatives.

State executives

• Democrats held four of Virginia's 13 state executive offices. Elections for the other offices are nonpartisan.
• Virginia's governor was Democrat Ralph Northam.

State legislature

• Republicans controlled the Virginia State Senate with a 21-19 majority.
• Republicans controlled the Virginia House of Delegates with a 51-49 majority.

Virginia Party Control: 1992-2025
Four years of Democratic trifectas  •  Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
Governor	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R
Senate	D	D	D	D	S	S	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D
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Virginia quick stats

• Became a state in 1788
• 10th state admitted to the United States
• The Virginia General Assembly is the oldest continuous law-making body in the New World.
• Members of the Virginia State Senate: 40
• Members of the Virginia House of Delegates: 100
• U.S. senators: 2
• U.S. representatives: 11

More Virginia coverage on Ballotpedia:

• Virginia elections, 2019
• Presidential voting trends in Virginia
• United States congressional delegations from Virginia
• Public policy in Virginia
• Influencers in Virginia
• Almanac of American Politics state profile
• More...

Demographic data for Virginia
	Virginia	U.S.
Total population:	8,367,587	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	39,490	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	69%	73.6%
Black/African American:	19.2%	12.6%
Asian:	6%	5.1%
Native American:	0.3%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more:	3.2%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	8.6%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	88.3%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	36.3%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$65,015	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	13%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Virginia. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

See also

• Virginia State Senate
• Virginia State Legislature
• State legislative elections, 2019

External links

Suggest a link

• Virginia General Assembly

Footnotes

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Current members of the Virginia State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Scott Surovell

Minority Leader:Ryan McDougle

Senators

District 1

Timmy French (R)

District 2

Mark Obenshain (R)

District 3

Chris Head (R)

District 4

David Suetterlein (R)

District 5

Travis Hackworth (R)

District 6

Todd Pillion (R)

District 7

Bill Stanley (R)

District 8

Mark Peake (R)

District 9

Tammy Mulchi (R)

District 10

Luther Cifers (R)

District 11

Creigh Deeds (D)

District 12

Glen Sturtevant (R)

District 13

Lashrecse Aird (D)

District 14

Lamont Bagby (D)

District 15

Ghazala Hashmi (D)

District 16

Schuyler VanValkenburg (D)

District 17

Emily Jordan (R)

District 18

Louise Lucas (D)

District 19

Christie Craig (R)

District 20

Bill DeSteph (R)

District 21

Angelia Graves (D)

District 22

Aaron Rouse (D)

District 23

Mamie Locke (D)

District 24

J.D. Diggs (R)

District 25

Richard Stuart (R)

District 26

Ryan McDougle (R)

District 27

Tara Durant (R)

District 28

Bryce Reeves (R)

District 29

Jeremy McPike (D)

District 30

Danica Roem (D)

District 31

Russet Perry (D)

District 32

Kannan Srinivasan (D)

District 33

Jennifer Carroll Foy (D)

District 34

Scott Surovell (D)

District 35

Dave Marsden (D)

District 36

Stella Pekarsky (D)

District 37

Saddam Salim (D)

District 38

Jennifer Boysko (D)

District 39

Adam Ebbin (D)

District 40

Barbara Favola (D)

Democratic Party (21)

Republican Party (19)