RICHMOND, Va. β Virginia experienced a surge in early voting on the first day of the election period, with over 32,000 people casting ballots Friday. That's more than double the turnout from the same day in 2021, the last time Virginia elected a governor.
The strong early voting numbers come as Virginians prepare to again elect a governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and all 100 House of Delegates seats, along with various local elections.
Central Virginia has emerged as a key battleground for several House races, prompting both gubernatorial campaigns to make stops in the region on the first day of early voting.
Republican candidate Winsome Earl-Sears held a rally with the rest of the statewide ticket, joined by Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Meanwhile, Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger greeted supporters in Henrico County.
Earl-Sears is positioning herself as the candidate to continue Youngkin's policies.
"Forward is the way. We've established ourselves. We didn't come this far to only go this far. We've got a lot more work to do," Earl-Sears said at her rally. "We've got regulations that we still need to get rid of, job killing regulations. We've got more jobs that we need to produce."
Spanberger argues that Virginians need change after struggling under the current administration, focusing on economic concerns facing Virginia families.
"I'm listening to people across Virginia as we see energy prices continue to rise, as rents and the cost of buying a house continue to go up significantly, we know that Virginians want a governor who's being responsive to those issues, listening to voters and being responsive," Spanberger said outside a polling place in Henrico County.
For comprehensive information about key voting dates and ballot details, voters can visit WTVR.com's complete election guide.
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