Voter Guide

Some of the features in this Voter Guide were made possible through the Knight Election Center and a grant from Microsoft. For questions about this Voter Guide, contact us at news@cardinalnews.org.

Virginia election dates for 2025

  • September 19: Early voting begins
  • October 24: Deadline to register to vote, if you’re not already registered, without having to cast a provisional ballot.
  • November 1: Early voting ends.
  • November 4: Virginians will be voting for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, members of the House of Delegates and multiple local offices.

For more details, see the State Board of Elections.

To see who is on the ballot in your city or county and find candidate comparisons, see “Who’s on your ballot” below.

View more dates

Who’s running?

Statewide elections

Are you missing Virginia’s biggest political stories? Sign up for free here.

We sent questionnaires to all the statewide candidates in early May. Here are their answers. If a space is blank, it means they haven’t responded. To find comparisons for the candidates on the ballot in your city or county, see “Who’s on your ballot” below.

Who’s on your ballot?

Besides the races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, all 100 seats in the House of Delegates will be on the ballot in November; the state Senate won’t be on the ballot again until 2027. Many localities also have local offices on the ballot.

We’ve created election pages that list who’s on the ballot in each county and city.

We also sent questionnaires to all House of Delegates candidates across Virginia and to local candidates in Southwest and Southside. Find their answers on those pages.

If you’re a candidate and didn’t get a questionnaire, let us know at elections@cardinalnews.org. If you spot any errors or omissions, please let us know at the same address.

Elections by locality

More comparisons

Cardinal News coverage:

Governor:

Lieutenant governor:

Attorney General:

Local offices:

Guides.Vote, a nonpartisan group, has produced this comparison of the candidates:

Other resources

We’ll list those here.

Your support matters

Our Virginia Voter Guide is made possible by your membership and contributions. Your support enables us to provide comprehensive candidate information, election coverage and public Q&A sessions. Sign up now to help us continue this important work and keep Virginia voters informed!

Become a Member

Key dates: When does voting begin?

September 19: Early voting begins

October 24: Deadline to register to vote, if you’re not already registered, without having to cast a provisional ballot.

November 1: Early voting ends.

November 4: Virginians will be voting for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, members of the House of Delegates and multiple local offices.

For more details, see the State Board of Elections.

Where is my polling place?

Find my polling place

How to vote

Can I vote with an out-of-state or expired license? 

Yes. If you get to your polling place without an acceptable ID, you can sign a statement affirming your identity and vote on a regular ballot, according to the Virginia Department of Elections. If your license is expired, you can still use it to vote.

How can I vote by mail in Virginia?

For June primaries: You can request a mail-in ballot for the primary election until June 14.

For fall elections: You can request a mail-in ballot for the primary election until October 24.

Request the mail-in ballot on Virginia’s election portal, or by mailing an application for an absentee ballot to your local voter registration office. You can find the address for your voter registration office on the Virginia Department of Elections website.

You can also request an absentee ballot up to 11 days until the deadline. After the deadline, only emergency absentee ballots are available until the day before the election. To qualify for an emergency absentee ballot, you need to have a serious conflict (like a work conflict, or a health issue of an immediate family member).

Can I vote early in-person?

Yes. You can vote early in-person at your local registrar’s office. You can find the location of the general registrar’s office in your jurisdiction and read more about early voting on the Virginia Department of Elections’ website.

When do polls open?

Polls will be open between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Election Day.

If you are in line by 7 p.m., you will be allowed to vote.

Can I vote from jail in Virginia? 

In many cases, yes. If you do not have a felony conviction, or if the governor has restored your right to vote after a felony conviction, you can vote – even from jail. This includes if you are being detained awaiting your court date, or are in jail for a misdemeanor conviction. 

If you have a felony conviction, you can petition the governor to restore your voting rights.

Not sure if you’re eligible to vote?

Check your registration status at virginia.gov.

You can also check out Virginia’s list of voter rights, and read ProPublica’s guide on voting accessibility for more information.