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S.Z. Ritter
S.Z. Ritter (also known as Debbie) is a member of the Chesapeake City Council in Virginia. She assumed office in 1998. Her current term ends on January 1, 2029.
Ritter ran for re-election to the Chesapeake City Council in Virginia. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Although elections for Chesapeake City Council are officially nonpartisan, Ritter is known to be a member of the Republican Party and lists her membership in the Central Chesapeake Republican Women’s Club on her campaign website.[1]
Biography
Ritter earned her B.S. from the University of Connecticut.[2]
Elections
2024
See also: City elections in Chesapeake, Virginia (2024)
General election
General election for Chesapeake City Council (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Chesapeake City Council on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | S.Z. Ritter (Nonpartisan) | 16.2 | 50,547 |
| ✔ |  | Les Smith Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 15.8 | 49,252 |
| ✔ |  | Patricia King (Nonpartisan)  | 15.7 | 49,073 |
| Jeff Jefferies (Nonpartisan) | 14.9 | 46,401 | ||
 | Eric Wray (Nonpartisan) | 13.3 | 41,445 | |
 | Reagan Davis (Nonpartisan) | 12.0 | 37,525 | |
 | Robert Ike (Nonpartisan) | 4.3 | 13,308 | |
| Jennifer Naperala (Nonpartisan) | 4.2 | 12,989 | ||
 | Jeff Staples (Nonpartisan) | 3.2 | 9,933 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 1,204 | ||
| Total votes: 311,677 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Ritter in this election.
2020
See also: City elections in Chesapeake, Virginia (2020)
General election
General election for Chesapeake City Council (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Chesapeake City Council on May 19, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Don Carey III (Nonpartisan) | 19.7 | 17,693 | |
| ✔ | | S.Z. Ritter (Nonpartisan) | 19.6 | 17,569 |
| ✔ | | Robert Ike (Nonpartisan) | 17.8 | 15,979 |
 | Dwight Parker (Nonpartisan) | 14.5 | 13,029 | |
| Les Smith Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 13.7 | 12,278 | |
 | Sharon Johnson-Clayton (Nonpartisan) | 10.2 | 9,157 | |
| Victoria Nicholls (Nonpartisan) | 3.9 | 3,503 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.5 | 410 | ||
| Total votes: 89,618 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Chesapeake, Virginia held elections in 2016. The mayor's chair and three seats on the Chesapeake City Council were up for general election on May 3, 2016. The following candidates ran in the election for at-large seats on the Chesapeake city council.[3]
| Chesapeake At-large City Council, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 S.Z. Ritter Incumbent |
21.27% | 9,629 |
| Richard W. West Incumbent |
19.94% | 9,023 |
| Robert C. Ike, Jr. Incumbent |
16.49% | 7,464 |
| Dwight Parker | 15.47% | 7,004 |
| Gene Waters | 13.72% | 6,211 |
| David Washington | 12.70% | 5,747 |
| Write-in votes | 0.41% | 184 |
| Total Votes (100 percent of voters reporting) | 45,262 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2016 May City General: Chesapeake City," May 3, 2016 | ||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
S.Z. Ritter did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
S.Z. Ritter did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Ritter is on the Board of Trustees of Great Bridge Battlefield and Waterways History Foundation, President of the Women's Division of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce Chesapeake, on the Board of Directors of the Elizabeth River Project, on the Executive Board of the Virginia Coalition of High Growth Localities and a Member of the Chesapeake Arboretum, Women's Club of South Norfolk, Chesapeake Regional Medical Center Auxiliary and Hampton Roads World Affairs Council.[2]
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
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