Virginia residents have just a few more days to cast ballots early in state and local primary elections.
Early voting for the June 17 primary election ends on Saturday.
Voters can cast ballots early in the jurisdiction in which they are registered, according to the Virginia Department of Elections. Every Virginia locality offers early in-person voting, but dates, times and locations vary by jurisdiction.
To cast a ballot, voters will need to go to an early voting site in their city and either present an acceptable form of identification or sign a statement affirming their identity as a registered voter.
This year, several state and local races have contested primaries. For statewide races, six Democratic candidates are vying for the position of lieutenant governor and two Democrats are facing off in the primary for attorney general.
All 100 Virginia House of Delegates seats will be up for election in the fall. But in the Hampton Roads region, only a handful of primary challenges are taking place. Those include two Republicans running in House District 70, two Republicans and two Democrats facing off in House District 89, and two Republicans squaring off in House District 97.
In local primaries, two Democrats are running for Norfolk commonwealth’s attorney, two Republicans are running for Chesapeake Sherriff, two Democrats running for Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney and two Democrats running for Newport News treasurer.
As of June 9, around 143,000 people have voted statewide in the primaries — more than 131,000 people in the Democratic primary and more than 11,000 in the Republican primary — according to the Virginia Public Access Project. The numbers include those voting in person and by mail. With no statewide GOP primaries, a smaller number of Republican voters live in areas with local primaries.
However, early voter turnout among Democrats has reached record numbers for an off-year primary election. With several days of early voting left, turnout has already surpassed the total number of early voters in Democratic primaries in 2023 and 2021. Around 129,000 people voted early in 2023, and 124,000 people in 2021. Virginia expanded early voting options in 2021 following the coronavirus pandemic.
In Hampton Roads, Democratic primary turnout as of June 9 ranges from a high of 7,311 votes, or 2.2% of registered voters, in Virginia Beach, to a low of 1,469 votes, or 1.9% of registered voters, in Suffolk. Out of the seven largest cities in the region, the biggest percentage of registered voters to cast ballots in the Democratic primary in Norfolk, with 4,729 votes and 3.3%.
For the Republican primary, the most votes by far have been cast in Chesapeake, with 3,451 votes, or about 1.9% of registered voters.
Election Day is Tuesday and polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com