Virginia state legislative Republican 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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Republican Party primary elections for offices in the Virginia State Senate and the Virginia House of Delegates were on June 11, 2019. Virginia uses a unique state legislative primary system—local parties can hold conventions in place of primary elections to choose their nominees. There were 28 Republican conventions and 12 primaries held in 2019.

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.

This system of nominee selection can lead to unique conflicts. One such situation is in House District 97, where challenger Scott Wyatt appeared to defeated Del. Chris Peace in a May 4 convention. Jack Wilson, chair of the state Republican Party, said the event was a rally held by Wyatt and not a nominating convention. Wyatt said he would turn his focus to campaigning for the November general election, while Peace said he would focus on "earn[ing] the legitimate Republican nomination." This particular circumstance has pitted the two Republican legislative leaders against each other, with Senate Majority Leader Thomas Norment Jr. (R) backing Wyatt and House Speaker Kirk Cox backing Peace.

Writing for the Washington Post in 2014, political scientists from Brigham Young University said that research suggested that more extreme candidates are likely to come from a caucus rather than a primary because caucus attendees have different attitudes on issues than those who vote in primaries. "Caucuses attract not just a smaller group of voters, but a group that is the most committed and ideological," they said.

For information about the Democratic state legislative primary elections in Virginia, click here.

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 Republican 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 5

Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?

Yes

What made this a battleground race?

Del. Israel O'Quinn faces his first primary opponent since winning election to the chamber in 2011. His opponent, Michael Osborne, ran against O'Quinn as an independent candidate in 2011.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 5

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Israel O'Quinn	77.3	2,449
		Michael Osborne	22.7	721

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,170
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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House District 28

Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?

Yes

What made this a battleground race?

Del. Robert Thomas Jr. faces Paul Milde III in a primary rematch from 2017. Thomas won that primary by less than 1,000 votes.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 28

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Paul Milde III	51.2	2,975
		Robert Thomas Jr.	48.8	2,834

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,809
= 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 97

Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?

Yes

What made this a battleground race?

Scott Wyatt defeated Del. Chris Peace at a convention on May 4. State party chair Jack Wilson said the convention was cancelled by a district committee three days prior and said the event was a rally, not a convention. Legislative leaders were divided between support of Wyatt and Peace. The issue went to the state Republican Party on June 22, 2019, which ruled in favor of Wyatt.

Senate battleground races

Senate District 13

Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?

No

What made this a battleground race?

Two supervisors from Loudon County ran to replace Sen. Richard Black, who is retiring. The general election was expected to be competitve, with the Prince William Times calling the race "one of the hottest in the state" and one that Republicans need to hold if they were to maintain their majority in the chamber.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Virginia State Senate District 13

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Geary Higgins	65.3	6,609
	Submit photo	Ron Meyer Jr.	34.5	3,486
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	21

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,116
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Senate District 24

Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?

Yes

What made this a battleground race?

Challenger Tina Freitas challenged Sen. Emmett Hanger based on Hanger's efforts to expand Medicaid in the state. "I recognize that I’m a maverick, but I’m not totally out of step with my party,” Hanger said. "I’ve been really upset with his record for quite some time, and it just got worse, much worse. I’m not going to let him skate through another election cycle unchallenged because we are almost a 70% Republican district and he’s representing us like we’re Arlington or Alexandria," Freitas said.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Virginia State Senate District 24

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Emmett Hanger	57.6	11,146
	Submit photo	Tina Freitas	42.4	8,216
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	1

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,363
= 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 Democratic primaries, 2019
• Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2019
• Virginia State Senate elections, 2019
• Virginia State Legislature
• Virginia elections, 2019