Virginia state legislative Democratic primaries, 2019

Elections in Virginia, 2019

• Primary: June 11
• General election: Nov. 5
• Voter registration deadline: Oct. 15
• Early voting: N/A
• Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 2

• Online registration: Yes
• Same-day registration: No
• Voter ID: Photo ID required
• Poll times: 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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On the ballot: State Senate • State House • Special state legislative • School boards • Municipal • 

2019 Virginia State Legislature elections
General	November 5, 2019
Primary	June 11, 2019

Past Election Results

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2019 Elections
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The Democratic primary elections for the seats in the Virginia State Senate and the Virginia House of Delegates were on June 11, 2019. For information about the Republican primary elections in Virginia, click here.

The Washington Post identified the primary source of conflict within the Democratic Party as the "Virginia Way" of legislating, which it defines as "forging bipartisan deals and casting a mostly friendly eye toward business." Several moderate Democrats with long tenures in the legislature drew challengers from their left, while moderate candidates also filed to challenge more progressive incumbents elected in recent cycles. Jeremy D. Mayer of George Mason University told The Washington Post that "the Democratic Party right now in Virginia and across the nation is feeling an incredible amount of anger. There are a lot of younger Democrats who don’t want to make deals with Republicans. They want to make change.” All of the incumbents defeated their primary challengers.

One other battleground primary this year featured a former state legislator seeking office again. Sen. Roz Dance was defeated by former Del. Joseph Morrissey in Senate District 16. Morrissey resigned from his position in the House in 2015 following his conviction of a misdemeanor stemming from his relationship with a 17-year-old girl. He won election to his old seat in a special election later that year. He ran for the Senate in 2015 against Dance but withdrew prior to the general election citing health concerns.

Several local party committees opted to hold conventions or caucuses rather than primary elections, and those events are not covered on this page.

The general election was on November 5, 2019. In the state Senate, all 40 seats were up for election. In the state House, all 100 seats were up for election.

Virginia primary voter? Dates you need to know.
Candidate Filing Deadline	March 28, 2019
Primary Election Registration Deadline	May 20, 2019
Primary Election	June 11, 2019
General Election Registration Deadline	October 15, 2019
General Election	November 5, 2019
Voting information
Primary Type	Hybrid
Photo ID?	Yes
Polling place hours	6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Partisan control

The tables below show the partisan breakdowns of the Virginia House of Delegates and the Virginia State Senate as of June 2019:

Virginia State Senate

Party		As of June 2019
	Democratic Party	19
	Republican Party	20
	Vacancies	1
Total		40

Virginia House of Delegates

Party		As of June 2019
	Democratic Party	48
	Republican Party	51
	Vacancies	1
Total		100

Battleground races

Ballotpedia identified battleground races in the 2019 Virginia state legislative Democratic primary elections. These primaries had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could have led to changes in the membership of the Republican caucus or had an impact on general election races.

To determine the Virginia state legislative Republican primary battleground races in 2018, Ballotpedia examined races that fit one or more of the three factors listed below:

1. Identified by the media as a notable primary election.
2. One or more of the candidates received a notable endorsement.
3. The primary was known to be competitive based on past results or because it was a rematch of a primary that was competitive in the past.

House battleground races

House District 38

Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?

Yes

What made this a battleground race?

Del. Kaye Kory was identified by The Washington Post as an incumbent moderate Democrat facing a primary challenge from the left.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 38

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kaye Kory	63.2	3,494
	Submit photo	Andres Jimenez	36.8	2,036

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,530
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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House District 49

Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?

Yes

What made this a battleground race?

Del. Alfonso Lopez was identified by The Washington Post as an incumbent moderate Democrat facing a primary challenge from the left.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 49

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Alfonso Lopez	77.1	5,024
		Julius Spain Sr.	22.9	1,489

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,513
= 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.
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House District 50

Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?

Yes

What made this a battleground race?

Del. Lee Carter is a self-proclaimed socialist and The Washington Post identified his primary challenger Mark Wolfe as a moderate Democrat.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 50

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lee Carter	57.7	1,441
	Submit photo	Mark D. Wolfe	42.3	1,055

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,496
= 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.

Senate battleground races

Senate District 16

Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?

Yes

What made this a battleground race?

Sen. Roz Dance faced former Del. Joseph Morrissey. Morrissey resigned from his position in the House in 2015 following his conviction of a misdemeanor stemming from his relationship with a 17-year-old girl. He won election to his old seat in a special election later that year. He ran for the Senate in 2015 against Dance but withdrew prior to the general election citing health concerns.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 16

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joseph Morrissey	56.0	8,741
		Roz Dance	44.0	6,873
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	6

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 15,620
= 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.

Senate District 31

Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?

Yes

What made this a battleground race?

Sen. Barbara Favola was identified by The Washington Post as an incumbent moderate Democrat facing a primary challenge from the left.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 31

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Barbara Favola	61.9	12,036
		Nicole Merlene	38.1	7,416

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,452
= 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.
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Senate District 33

Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?

Yes

What made this a battleground race?

Sen. Jennifer Boysko was identified by The Washington Post as a newly elected progressive incumbent facing a moderate challenger.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 33

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jennifer Boysko	84.3	8,268
		Mohammed Sharafat Hussain	15.7	1,540
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	3

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,811
= 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.

Senate District 35

Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?

Yes

What made this a battleground race?

Sen. Dick Saslaw was identified by The Washington Post as an incumbent moderate Democrat facing a primary challenge from the left. The primary challenge was Saslaw's first since 1979.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 35

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dick Saslaw	48.6	7,381
		Yasmine Taeb	45.8	6,945
	Submit photo	Karen Elena Torrent	5.6	853

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 15,179
= 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.

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Virginia utilizes an open primary process in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In Virginia, all polls open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Virginia, one must be a United States citizen, a resident of Virginia, and at least 18 years of age.

Registration can be completed online, in person at a local voter registration office, or by mail. Voters can also register at the following locations:

“	State or local government offices when applying or re-certifying for Aid to Dependent Children, Food Stamps, WIC, Medicaid, or Rehabilitation Services Government offices in the state that provide state-funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities Armed forces recruitment offices Public libraries Virginia Department of Elections office Department of Motor Vehicles offices Voter registration drives	”
—Virginia Department of Elections

The deadline to register is the 11th day before a primary or general election, but a voter may register to voter after this deadline through the state's same-day registration system and vote a provisional ballot.

Automatic registration

On April 12, 2020, Governor Ralph Northam (D) signed SB219 into law, establishing automatic voter registration for individuals conducting business with the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Virginia has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Virginia allows same-day voter registration in-person at local registrars' offices, satellite early voting sites during the early voting period, and at the precinct on Election Day.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Virginia, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Virginia does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, a voter who makes a materially false statement may be "sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, or up to 12 months in jail and/or fined up to $2,500."

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

This page, run by the Virginia Department of elections, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Early voting

Virginia permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website. Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

All Virginia voters are eligible to vote absentee/by mail. There are no special requirements to be eligible to vote absentee/by mail. Voters may request an absentee ballot online or complete a paper absentee ballot request form and return it to their local voter registration office by mail, fax, or email. Applications must be received by 5 p.m. at least 11 days before Election Day.

Completed ballots must be returned to the local registrar's office or an official drop off location by 7 p.m. on Election Day. If mailed, completed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received within three days of the election in order to be counted.

On April 12, 2020, Governor Ralph Northam (D) signed HB1 and SB111 into law, establishing no-excuse absentee voting 45 days prior to an election. The legislation was in effect for the November 3, 2020 election.

On the same day, Northam also signed HB238 and SB455, providing for absentee ballots postmarked on or before the date of an election to be counted if received by noon on the third day after the election.

See also

• Virginia state legislative Republican primaries, 2019
• Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2019
• Virginia State Senate elections, 2019
• Virginia State Legislature
• Virginia elections, 2019