Oddusee Civic Guides · Verified August 2026
Three things that make voting in Richmond different: (1) Virginia gives you 45 days of no-excuse early voting — for November 2026 it starts September 18. (2) You can register same-day, even on Election Day, and vote a provisional ballot. (3) This November’s ballot carries three constitutional amendments — abortion rights, marriage equality, and automatic restoration of voting rights after a felony sentence.
📍 Register / check status / find your polling place | Richmond Office of Elections
Key dates — November 3, 2026 General
- Registration deadline: Friday, October 23, 2026 — then same-day registration (provisional) through Election Day.
- Early voting: Friday, September 18 – 5 PM Saturday, October 31, at Richmond’s early voting sites.
- Mail ballot (no excuse): apply by 5 PM October 23; postmark by Election Day, received by noon that Friday — or use a drop box by 7 PM November 3.
- Election Day: Tuesday, November 3, 2026, 6 AM – 7 PM, at your assigned precinct.
Dates can change — always confirm at the official Virginia election calendar.
Can I vote?
You can register if you’re a U.S. citizen, a Virginia resident, and will be 18 by the next general election — and you can pre-register at 16.
- Felony conviction? Virginia currently requires the Governor to restore rights individually — and Gov. Spanberger restored the streamlined process, with 66,000+ Virginians restored in 2026 so far. Apply through the Secretary of the Commonwealth. And the Nov 2026 ballot includes an amendment to make restoration automatic upon release — your vote decides it.
The ID you need
Virginia accepts a wide range: VA driver’s license or DMV ID (even expired), passport, any government ID, student ID from any U.S. college (or VA high school), employer ID, tribal or military ID — or a non-photo document like a current utility bill, bank statement, or paycheck with your name and address. Nothing on you? Sign an ID Confirmation Statement at the polls and vote a regular ballot.
Primary & party
Virginia has open primaries — no party registration, no runoffs. Note for 2026: the primary was moved (one time) to August 4, 2026, and has already set the November match-ups.
Where to vote
Election Day means your assigned precinct; early voting means any Richmond early voting site — recent elections used the Office of Elections (2134 W Laburnum Ave), City Hall (900 E Broad St), and Hickory Hill Community Center (3000 E Belt Blvd). Precinct sites span the city: Thomas Jefferson High (4100 W Grace St), the VCU ICA (601 W Broad St), Carver Elementary (1110 W Leigh St), John Marshall High (4225 Old Brook Rd), Barack Obama Elementary (3101 Fendall St), Tabernacle Baptist (1925 Grove Ave), and more. Curbside voting is a legal right for voters 65+ or with disabilities.
Find your polling place | Richmond elections — early voting & drop boxes
The offices Richmonders elect
Current officeholders as of August 2026 (verified). Richmond is an independent city. City government runs in presidential years (next: Nov 2028); constitutional officers in 2029; statewide offices in 2029; the General Assembly in 2027. On the Nov 2026 ballot: U.S. Senate (Warner’s seat), U.S. House VA-4, and the three amendments.
City government (next election Nov 2028)
- Mayor: Danny Avula
- City Council: D1 Andrew “Gumby” Breton; D2 Katherine Jordan (VP); D3 Kenya Gibson; D4 Sarah Abubaker; D5 Stephanie Lynch; D6 Ellen Robertson; D7 Cynthia Newbille (President); D8 Reva Trammell; D9 Nicole Jones
- School Board: D1 Matthew Percival (Vice Chair); D2 Kathryn Ricard; D3 Ali Faruk; D4 Wesley Hedgepeth; D5 Stephanie Rizzi; D6 Anne Holton; D7 Cheryl Burke; D8 Emmett Jafari; D9 Shavonda Fernandez (Chair)
Constitutional officers (next election 2029)
- Commonwealth’s Attorney: Colette McEachin (re-elected Nov 2025)
- Sheriff: Antionette Irving (third term)
- Treasurer: Nichole Armstead
- Clerk of the Circuit Court: Edward F. Jewett (8-year term)
- Richmond has no elected Commissioner of the Revenue — that’s an appointed city office.
Courts
- Virginia voters don’t elect judges — the General Assembly does (Richmond Circuit Court is the 13th Circuit). Your influence runs through your delegates and senators. Info: vacourts.gov
State (statewide next in 2029; General Assembly in 2027)
- Governor: Abigail Spanberger (Virginia’s first woman governor, took office Jan 2026); Lt. Gov: Ghazala Hashmi; Attorney General: Jay Jones
- House of Delegates (Richmond): HD77 Charlie Schmidt (won Jan 2026 special); HD78 Betsy Carr; HD79 Rae Cousins; HD81 Delores McQuinn — next up 2027
- State Senate (Richmond): SD14 Lamont Bagby; SD15 Mike Jones (won Jan 2026 special) — next up 2027
Federal
- U.S. House VA-4: Jennifer McClellan (ON the Nov 2026 ballot; district lines freshly redrawn under the April 2026 amendment)
- U.S. Senate: Mark Warner’s seat is ON the Nov 2026 ballot — vs. Republican Bert Mizusawa. Tim Kaine (a former Richmond mayor) is next up in 2030.
Learn more
- Virginia Department of Elections — official registration, early voting, and mail-ballot info.
- New Virginia Majority — registration and rights-restoration work in communities of color.
- League of Women Voters — Richmond Metro — nonpartisan voter guides.
- VoteRiders — free help getting a voter ID.
Always confirm dates and locations with the Virginia Department of Elections and the Richmond Office of Elections (2134 W Laburnum Ave) — rules and deadlines can change between elections.