Racial Diversity
68.7% Caucasian
19.2% African American
6.1% Asian
3.4% two or more races
.3% other races
.1% Natives of North America
Virginia
Virginia is the 12th most populous state
with over 8 million residents
Male Population:
3,925,983
Female Population:
4,075,041
Racial Diversity
68.7% Caucasian
19.2% African American
6.1% Asian
3.4% two or more races
.3% other races
.1% Natives of North America
Current State Legislature
Virginia is currently under a divided government: the governor is a Democrat, while Republicans control both chambers of the legislature by an extremely narrow margin—just two seats each. The entire Virginia General Assembly is up for election in 2019, and these are all “Last Chance” races; the legislators elected in 2019 will be serving during the 2021 redistricting process. The state legislature draws district lines, and the governor has the power to veto district maps.
The state Senate is currently comprised of 19 Democrats and 21 Republicans, while the House of Delegates has 48 Democrats and 51 Republicans. Democrats have an incredible opportunity to flip both Virginia state legislature chambers in 2019.
Demographic shifts in Virginia favor Democrats. And a number of badly gerrymandered House districts have recently been fairly redrawn upon federal court order (subject to Supreme Court review). This should give Democrats an opportunity to compete fairly in a broader set of House districts this year.
Democrats have an opportunity to flip both chambers blue in 2019
The state Senate is currently comprised of
19 Democrats and 21 Republicans
The House of Delegates is currently comprised of
49 Democrats and 51 Republicans
Meet Our Virginia Candidates
District Lines
District lines for Congress and state legislature are drawn by the General Assembly (state legislature). There is a bipartisan advisory commission, but the General Assembly is not required to take their recommendations. The governor has veto power over district lines.
The Commonwealth’s district boundaries have been a hot topic of conversation in past years. Both Congressional and state legislative district lines in Virginia have been held unconstitutional by federal courts due to racial gerrymandering. Congressional districts were redrawn by court order in 2016, which increased Democratic representation. Currently, a number of districts in the lower chamber are the subject of ongoing litigation, which is currently being heard by the Supreme Court. The new maps for these lower chamber districts will be used in the 2019 general election unless the Supreme Court overturns the new maps. That decision is due over the summer. The redrawn districts (which more accurately reflect the population) lean more Democratic.
Citizens’ groups in Virginia have been working to establish fairer districting processes, including pushing for a nonpartisan redistricting
commission. In 2019, the General Assembly approved the “first read” of a constitutional amendment to create an advisory commission for Congressional and state legislative lines. The next step would be for the General Assembly to pass an identical resolution during the next legislative session – after the 2019 election. Then the measure would go onto the ballot in November 2020, at which point Virginians could vote to approve the independent commission.
Voter Suppression
Virginia currently has a voter ID law, passed by its Republican state legislature and governor in 2013. In 2016, the Fourth Circuit of Appeals upheld the Virginia Voter ID law, after a suit alleging it violated the 1965 Voting Rights Act. In addition, Virginia’s GOP has made it more difficult to register people to vote. In particular, third-party voter registration requires groups receiving 25 or more registration forms to register with the state. Further, Virginia uses both the controversial Crosscheck and ERIC programs to determine if there are duplicate voter registrations.
District Lines
District lines for Congress and state legislature are drawn by the General Assembly (state legislature). There is a bipartisan advisory commission, but the General Assembly is not required to take their recommendations. The governor has veto power over district lines.
The Commonwealth’s district boundaries have been a hot topic of conversation in past years. Both Congressional and state legislative district lines in Virginia have been held unconstitutional by federal courts due to racial gerrymandering. Congressional districts were redrawn by court order in 2016, which increased Democratic representation. Currently, a number of districts in the lower chamber are the subject of ongoing litigation, which is currently being heard by the Supreme Court. The new maps for these lower chamber districts will be used in the 2019 general election unless the Supreme Court overturns the new maps. That decision is due over the summer. The redrawn districts (which more accurately reflect the population) lean more Democratic.
Citizens’ groups in Virginia have been working to establish fairer districting processes, including pushing for a nonpartisan redistricting commission. In 2019, the General Assembly approved the “first read” of a constitutional amendment to create an advisory commission for Congressional and state legislative lines. The next step would be for the General Assembly to pass an identical resolution during the next legislative session – after the 2019 election. Then the measure would go onto the ballot in November 2020, at which point Virginians could vote to approve the independent commission.
Voter Suppression
Virginia currently has a voter ID law, passed by its Republican state legislature and governor in 2013. In 2016, the Fourth Circuit of Appeals upheld the Virginia Voter ID law, after a suit alleging it violated the 1965 Voting Rights Act. In addition, Virginia’s GOP has made it more difficult to register people to vote. In particular, third-party voter registration requires groups receiving 25 or more registration forms to register with the state. Further, Virginia uses both the controversial Crosscheck and ERIC programs to determine if there are duplicate voter registrations.
June 11: Primary election
November 5: General Election
Voter Registration and Day of Voting
You must provide a photo ID to register to vote and to vote physically at the polls. Acceptable IDs include:
- Driver’s license
- US passport
- Tribal ID issued by one of the 11 tribes recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia
- Student or employee ID from a public or private school in Virginia
- Virginia Voter Photo ID
If you do not have an ID, you may apply for a free Virginia Voter Photo Identification from any general registrar’s office.
Last Day:
- For the June Primary, you must register by Monday, May 20th, 2019.
- For the November Election you must register by Tuesday, October 15th, 2019.
Absentee Ballots:
- For the June Primary, absentee ballots must be requested by Tuesday, June 4th, 2019.
- For the November Election absentee ballots must be requested by Tuesday, October 29th, 2019.
- You can also request a ballot by appearing in person
- Request Absentee Ballot by appearing in person by: 5:00 p.m. Saturda, November 2, 2019.
The Commonwealth has elected Democratic governors in four out of the last five gubernatorial elections, and has not voted for a Republican President since 2004.
The 2016 Election
Hilary Clinton
Democrat
Donald Trump
Republican
