Virginia’s general election is Nov. 3.
The 2026 Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press election guide provides information about which offices are up for election this year and the candidates. In Hampton Roads, cities are holding elections for city council and school board. Several cities will vote on ballot referendums to raise the sales tax to fund school construction. Voters across Virginia will also elect members of Congress and decide whether to approve three state constitutional amendments.
Click on each race to learn more about the candidates running for the office. Candidates answers to voter guide questionnaires will be added in late September.
Chesapeake
- Voters will elect five City Council members and five School Board members.
- City Council: Five at-large seats will be up for grabs in a crowded race that includes three incumbents and 12 other candidates.
- School Board: Five at-large seats are up for election.
Hampton
- Voters will elect three City Council members and three School Board members.
- City Council: Six candidates are running for three at-large seats.
- School Board: Four candidates, including three incumbents, are running for three at large seats.
Newport News
- Voters will elect the mayor, three City Council members, and four School Board members.
- Mayor: Newport News is the only Hampton Roads locality to hold a mayoral election this year.
- City Council: There are elections for three district-based seats this year.
- School Board: Six candidates, including three incumbents, are running for three district seats and one at large seat.
- A ballot referendum will ask voters whether the city should temporarily raise the sales tax by 1% to fund public school construction and maintenance projects.
Norfolk
- Voters will elect five City Council members and five School Board members.
- City Council: Five Norfolk City Council seats are up for election this year.
- School Board: Ten candidates, including four incumbents, are running for five ward seats.
- A ballot referendum will ask voters whether the city should temporarily raise the sales tax by 1% to fund public school construction and maintenance projects.
Poquoson
- Voters will elect three City Council members. | More
Portsmouth
- Voters will elect three City Council members and four School Board members.
- City Council: Five candidates will compete for three open at-large seats.
- School Board: Eight candidates, including four incumbents, are running for four at large seats.
- A ballot referendum will ask voters whether the city should temporarily raise the sales tax by 1% to fund public school construction and maintenance projects.
Suffolk
- Voters will elect four City Council members and four School Board members.
- City Council: Eight candidates, including four incumbents, are running for four borough seats.
- School Board: Seven candidates, including three incumbents, are running for four district seats.
Virginia Beach
- Voters will elect six City Council members and six School Board members.
- City Council: Six district seats are up for election this year.
- School Board: Thirteen candidates, including three incumbents, are running for six district seats.
Williamsburg
- Voters will elect two City Council members. | More
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Congress
Virginia voters will elect members of Congress in the state’s 11 House seats and one Senate seat. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd congressional districts represent parts of Hampton Roads in the U.S. House of Representatives.
- 1st District: Democrat Shannon Taylor taking on Republican Rob Wittman
- 2nd District: Four candidates are running, including two independents
- 3rd District: Four candidates in the race
- Senate: Republican Bert Mizusawa challenges Democrat Mark Warner
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Constitutional amendments
Virginians will vote on whether to adopt three constitutional amendments that would enshrine abortion access, same-sex marriage, and voting rights for people who have completed felony sentences in the state’s constitution. The ballot questions are as follows:
- Abortion: “Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) protect the freedom to make personal decisions about prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion, miscarriage management, and fertility care; (ii) protect doctors, nurses, and patients from being punished for these decisions; and (iii) allow for restrictions on access to abortion during the third trimester of pregnancy except when the patient’s health is at risk or the pregnancy cannot survive?”
- Marriage: “Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) remove the ban on same-sex marriage; (ii) affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race; and (iii) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law?”
- Voting: “Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended (i) to provide for the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth, (ii) to revise the qualifications of voters so that a person convicted of a felony is not entitled to vote during his period of incarceration but is automatically invested with the right to vote upon release from incarceration, and (iii) to update the existing prohibition on voting by persons found to be mentally incompetent to instead apply to persons who have been found to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting?”
