HENRICO COUNTY, Va. β Early voting began Friday morning at the Henrico Government Center, where more than a dozen voters lined up to cast their ballots in Virginia's statewide elections.
"I'm enthusiastic about voting. I think it's critical to our society that everyone possible vote," voter Virginia Hackney said.
"I wanted to be here as early as possible," voter Zoltan Gaal said. "I'm as conservative as you can be. They even said go out and vote early."
On the ballot this year are all three statewide offices, all 100 seats in the House of Delegates and dozens of positions at the local level.
Democrats hold leads in new polling
The start of voting comes a day after a new Wason Center poll showed how likely voters are feeling about the races.
The poll has Democrats leading in all three statewide races β with double-digit margins in the governor and lieutenant governor's races β but only a seven-point difference in the attorney general's race.
However, the poll's author, Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo, said those leads aren't insurmountable.
"Usually the most intense partisans are going to vote first, and so there's definitely room for those late breaking undecideds," Wason Center Research Director Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo said.
In terms of what voters told the Wason Center is top of mind for them, cost of living and inflation ranked number one.
The second priority is threats to democracy, which Bromley-Trujillo attributes to the murder of Charlie Kirk.
Candidates meet at the polls
A few hours after the polls opened in Henrico, some of the statewide candidates showed up to make their pitch to voters, including Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger and Republican Lieutenant Governor candidate John Reid.
Watch what happens when Spanberger, Reid meet at the polls: 'Hate to be the one to tell you this'
When asked about the nation's political climate, Spanberger said it needs to return to respectful debate and disagreement.
"Our children deserve better than what they are witnessing from some of the adults around them," Spanberger said to a crowd of supporters outside the polls.
"Let me do that, too," Reid replied to the displeasure of some Spanberger supporters. "I'm headed out. I'm glad to see you."
"Hey, hey, hey. Listen. John Reid has put his name on the ballot. I hate to be the one to tell you this β I did not vote for you today," Spanberger joked.
"I know that! And I return it," Reid playfully countered. "But that's OK. But I'd like to demonstrate that we can still be friends. You live in Henrico, I live in Henrico. I'm glad to see you always."
"But we're too busy for coffee any time soon my friend," Spanberger said.
"Probably true," Reid replied.
Trump's approval could impact races
As the calendar moves closer to Election Day on Nov. 4, Bromley-Trujillo said the biggest impact on all the races could be out of their control.
That being the approval rating of President Donald Trump, which the poll puts at only 39%.
"The truth is that state politics has become nationalized over time, and so what's happening in the White House is a big deal. And we just have this strong historical trend in Virginia voting against the party in power in the White House," Bromley-Trujillo said.
If you need to know more about what's on your ballot, what's at stake, and key dates for voting -- head to our website where we have a complete voter election guide.
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π³οΈVirginia Voter's Guide: What you need to know about the 2025 Election
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