The 2026 election season kicks off early this year with a high-stakes statewide referendum.
While technically designated as a “special election,” there are no candidates on the ballot. Instead, between today, Friday, March 6, and Tuesday, April 21, voters are being asked to decide whether to amend the Virginia Constitution to allow state lawmakers to redraw the congressional district map. Congressional district maps are usually redrawn once every 10 years after each U.S. census. The amendment would allow Virginia to redraw its map earlier — this year.
It’s a highly controversial amendment. The proposed redistricting would make it more likely that Virginia elects more Democrats to represent the state in the U.S. House of Representatives during this year’s election. Virginia Democrats say the change would allow the state to respond to aggressive redistricting in other states that favor Republicans and ensure fair representation. Republicans argue the amendment would open the door to partisan gerrymandering and undermine Virginia’s current redistricting process.
Unsurprisingly, there have been multiple lawsuits to stop this amendment from going through, but the state Supreme Court last month ruled it could go ahead to the ballot.
From the Associated Press: Virginia court allows a referendum on Democratic-led redistricting that could flip 4 US House seats
The special election is not the only deviation from our normal election schedule. This year, Virginia will host its primary elections on Aug. 4, more than a month later than the typical mid-June primary. Why? The later primary date is intended to give state officials time to redraw congressional districts and finalize new boundaries, if voters approve the amendment.
Once that primary election arrives, voters in central Virginia will likely be weighing in on party nominees for the state’s U.S. Senate and House of Representative seats representing the region in Congress. The winners of those contests will then face off against each other in the Nov. 3 general election.
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 constitutional amendments addressing reproductive rights, marriage equality and the restoration of voting rights for people with felony convictions.
Your guide to local elections in 11 central Virginia counties
We will once again be producing the 2026 Central Virginia Voter Guide with information to help you decide who you want to represent you.
A big part of our annual guide is the Q&As we send 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 year’s 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.
We’ll be checking in more frequently between now and Election Day with information to help you navigate the races and issues on your ballot. Thanks for following along.
Jessie Higgins
Democracy Editor
