RICHMOND, Va. -- On a sunny fall Monday, Jennifer Bogus had a clear mind to enjoy the sights by the James River with her friend and dog. She was one of more than 789,000 Virginians to vote early in the 2023 elections.
“I voted earlier this week, early election voting. It was busy," she said. “I do think it’s really important. I think the only way we can make changes is by voting, and I just wish it was easy for everyone else as it was for me.”
The stakes for an off-year election are high in Central Virginia on multiple fronts:
- Control of the General Assembly
- The future of Governor Glenn Youngkin's term
- Whether or not (again) a casino/resort project moves forward in Richmond
- Whether the school board in Hanover should be appointed or elected
There are several situations Election Day voters should be aware of before heading to polls, which are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Voters will head to their Election Day polling place to cast their ballot since the early voting period has ended.
As a refresher, legislative lines are redrawn every 10 years after the U.S. Census, and these are the first General Assembly elections under new maps, which were drawn by special masters appointed by the Virginia Supreme Court after the bi-partisan redistricting commission failed.
That means your House of Delegates and State Senate district number undoubtedly changed. You can check your district here.
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Virginia Voter's Guide 2023
Equally as important, in many cases, there are hundreds of county-level races, and local officials who make decisions that have a very direct influence on the area where you live.
Twelve counties in the Richmond metro have at least one contested race for their board of supervisors:
- Amelia
- Caroline
- Charles City
- Chesterfield
- Dinwiddie
- Goochland
- Hanover
- Henrico
- Louisa
- New Kent
- Powhatan
- Prince George
Eleven counties in the Richmond-Metro have one or multiple contested seats for their school board:
- Amelia
- Caroline
- Charles City
- Chesterfield
- Dinwiddie
- Goochland
- Henrico
- Louisa
- New Kent
- Powhatan
- Prince George
The top prosecutor in the county — the Commonwealth Attorney — faces a challenger in six counties:
- Amelia
- Caroline
- Chesterfield
- Dinwiddie
- Goochland
- Henrico
In recent years, a partisan lens has honed in on local boards and offices across the Commonwealth and country, especially related to COVID-19 restrictions and transgender rights policy. However, the party affiliation of a candidate running for a county or city office is NOT listed on your ballot, under state law.
For example, in the Henrico Commonwealth Attorney race, incumbent Democrat Shannon Taylor is facing Republican challenger Shannon Dillion. Even if the candidates campaign for or with their publicly declared party, voters will not have that information unless you research them ahead of time.
Also, on the practical side, Virginia is a photo ID state, meaning voters must prevent an accepted form of photo ID at the polls. If you don't have one, you can cast a provisional ballot, which requires follow-up from the voter. You can learn more about accepted IDs here.
Jennifer Bogus hopes her fellow Virginians read up and turn out to vote on Election Day.
“I do a lot of reading about who I have to vote for," she said. "It represents what a democracy is: that we have these freedoms, that we have the ability to pick who are leaders are, and that there’s a process behind it all. The fact there is local election is part of the process of our overall democracy in this country.”
A total of 789,704 Virginians have already cast early ballots this year, which accounts for nearly 13% of registered voters. In 2019, the last off-year General Assembly election cycle, 42% of voters participated.
Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for in-depth coverage of this important local story. Anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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