Welcome to Charlottesville Tomorrow’s 2026 Central Virginia Voter Guide!
Primary season is here.
Primary Election Day is Tuesday. Aug. 4. Depending on where you live, you’ll help choose party nominees for Congress and the U.S. Senate.
The winners of those contests will then face off against each other in the Nov. 3 general election.
- Read Q&As with the candidates to see where they stand on key issues
- Read what to know before you vote on Primary Election Day
- Fill out our voter survey to send us questions you’d like us to ask candidates in the November elections
Candidate Q&As for the 2026 primary election
U.S. Senate
Q&A with Virginia’s three Republican primary candidates for U.S. Senate
Data centers emerged as one of the biggest points of disagreement between the three candidates. From nuclear-powered data centers to stronger local control, the candidates offered competing visions for Virginia’s future.
Congressional District 5
Q&A with three candidates seeking Democratic nomination for Virginia’s 5th District
The candidates share similar concerns about housing costs and presidential power, but diverge on immigration enforcement, offering very different visions for the future of ICE.
Q&A with the two Republican primary candidates for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District
Data centers and energy policy showed a clear divide. Lucero prioritized protecting communities from corporate ‘abuse,’ while McGuire focused on cutting regulations to encourage new power plants and transmission lines.
Congressional District 7
Q&A with Republican primary candidates for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District
Rick Smithers and Philip Harding have responded, providing answers with strikingly different tones while sharing similar visions on issues from the Valley Link transmission line to rural jobs. Ollivant has not responded.
For many central Virginia voters, these will be the only races that appear on your ballot. However, a handful of localities will also select new candidates for local offices.
During the general election, voters across the state will also decide three additional proposed constitutional amendments addressing reproductive rights, marriage equality and the restoration of voting rights for people with felony convictions.
This guide is here to provide information to help you decide who you want to represent you. It covers all eligible races in 11 central Virginia counties and the City of Charlottesville. (It doesn’t include the greater Richmond area because there are more media outlets providing information on those races.) Charlottesville Tomorrow has published a voter guide for 20 years. We expanded beyond the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County in 2023, after we heard from many people that they wanted more information in the region.
Sometimes, it’s hard to get information about local races. If you have information or see an error in this guide, please reach out and let us know.
This year’s primary election was postponed from its usual June date. That’s because voters were asked in April to decide whether to amend the Virginia Constitution to allow state lawmakers to redraw the congressional district map. Congressional district maps are usually redrawn only once every 10 years after the U.S. census. The amendment would have allowed Virginia to redraw its map earlier, a move supported by Democrats who hoped to redraw congressional districts in ways that could benefit their party after Republicans did the same in several other states.
Virginia voters approved the amendment, but conservative groups immediately challenged it in court. A judge blocked the new districts from taking effect, and the Virginia Supreme Court later struck down the amendment, leaving the current congressional map unchanged.
What to know before you vote on Primary Election Day
- Polling places are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you’re in line by 7 p.m., you can vote!
- Find your polling location and check your voter registration status on the Virginia Department of Elections’ Citizen Portal.
- If you aren’t registered yet, you can still vote! You will be given a provisional ballot, which is handled separately from regular ballots. It’ll be counted once election officials verify your eligibility. Unregistered voters can find their polling location here.
- Bring your ID with you when you vote. Here’s a list of acceptable ones.
- If you don’t have an ID, you still have options.
- You can sign an ID Confirmation Statement at the polls.
- Or, you can cast a provisional ballot. In order for it to be counted, deliver a copy of your ID to your local electoral board by noon on Friday, Aug. 7.
- Since Virginia does not register voters by party, you can vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary – but not both! This year, the 5th District is the only district in the state with both primaries.
More about elections in Virginia
Help us make a voter guide that meets your needs
As part of Charlottesville Tomorrow’s annual Voter Guide, we send a list of questions to all registered candidates for each race in our central Virginia coverage area. This includes the City of Charlottesville; the counties of Albemarle, Appomattox, Buckingham, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, Orange and Prince Edward; and the towns of Scottsville, Appomattox, Pamplin, Dillwyn, Stanardsville, Louisa, Mineral, Madison, Gordonsville, Orange and Farmville.
We publish each returned Q&A with the candidates’ responses grouped under each question to help you, the voter, understand how they compare on the issues that matter most to you. (You can see an example of how this looks from last years’ guide here.)
What questions should we ask your candidates? You tell us!
To help serve voters, we’d like to know what issues and questions matter to you. Please take a few minutes to complete our two-question 2026 Voter Survey, and tell us what you would like us to ask candidates in your area.
New to Charlottesville Tomorrow? Find out more about our nonprofit news organization.
Support this work
Our urgent need for high quality, local information is only growing as things change rapidly. Let’s build up free-to-access information for and about the people here in central Virginia. You can support this work immediately with your one-time gift, or with a sustaining monthly donation. To find out more ways to sponsor this work through your individual investment or through a business or nonprofit partnership, reach out to mhood [at] cvilletomorrow.org.
Here are key dates and deadlines in the 2026 elections
| Friday, July 24, 2026 | Last day to register to vote in the primaries. Deadline to apply to your local registrar’s office for your ballot to be mailed to you or to apply for an absentee ballot using the Citizen Portal for the primary election. Requests must be received by your local registrar’s office by 5 p.m. |
| Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026 | Last day for early voting in the primaries. Local registrar’s offices will be open this Saturday until 5pm. |
| Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026 | Primary Election Day! |
| Friday, Sept. 18, 2026 – Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026 | Early voting is available weekdays for the General Election. You can vote in your local registrar’s office or in satellite locations, depending on your locality. Contact your local registrar’s office to find out where to vote in your area. |
| Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 | Last day to register to vote in the General Election. Check your voter registration status using the Citizen Portal. If you don’t register by today, you can still vote! Virginia allows unregistered voters to cast provisional ballots during early voting and on Election Day. Those ballots will be counted after election officials verify the voter’s eligibility to vote. |
| Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 | Deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot. Applications should be submitted by 5 p.m. Apply online using the Citizen Portal or fill out the Absentee Application Form and submit it to your local registrar’s office by mail, fax, or email. |
| Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026 and Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026 | Early voting extends its normal hours to open on Saturdays the last two weeks before election day. Contact your local registrar’s office to find out where to vote in your area. |
| Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026 | General Election Day! |
We will update this list periodically as deadlines approach or we receive new information.
Register to vote, check your registration, find your polling place and apply to vote absentee at the Virginia Department of Elections here. Remember, even if you miss registration deadlines, you can register through Election Day and vote using a provisional ballot.
Need to know if you’re eligible to vote? Here are resources from the Virginia Department of Elections.
Let’s meet!
We’re touring central Virginia to find out what matters to you — and help get everyone engaged in our local democracy! Come see us when we’re in your neighborhood!
