NORFOLK, Va. — Election Day 2023 has arrived, and all seats in the Virginia General Assembly are on the ballot.
Party control of the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate are at stake in the 2023 elections, which will have a ripple effect on major issues, like abortion and gun control.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has been campaigning for Republican candidates across the state and encouraging Virginians to vote early, pushing for a "Republican trifecta" in state government that will support his legislative priorities for the remainder of his term as governor.
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Here are three things to know about the 2023 General Assembly elections.
It's the first time since 2019 that all 140 seats are on the ballot
100 of the seats are in the House and 40 are in the Senate. Republicans have held a 52-48 majority in the House, while Democrats have held a 21-19 majority in the Senate.
Republicans won back control of the House in the 2021 elections after two years of Democratic control of the chamber. Democrats have held the Senate since 2020 following the 2019 elections, and have blocked many Republican priorities spearheaded in the House.
November 7 is also the first election under new General Assembly district boundaries based on the 2020 U.S. Census. The redistricting process prompted a wave of political retirements, so Virginia's legislature will see many new faces once the 2024 session begins.
To find which district you live in, tap or click here.
A handful of House, Senate races can determine party control
Many of the competitive races that could determine which party controls the General Assembly are in Hampton Roads. That's because the region has a significant chunk of the state's population, and it has a history of flipping between parties from election to election.
For example, Virginia Beach, the region's largest city, voted 51.6% for Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, and a year later, Republican Youngkin won the city by 51%, according to the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP).
One hot election in the Hampton Roads region is the 24th Senate District race between State Sen. Monty Mason, a Democrat, and former York-Poquoson Sheriff Danny Diggs, a Republican. The district covers Newport News, Williamsburg, and Poquoson, as well as York and James City counties.
Another hot race in the 97th House District, covering parts of Virginia Beach. The incumbent candidate is Karen Greenhalgh, a Republican, and the challenging candidate is, Michael Feggans, a Democrat.
A Republican 'trifecta' could bring major policy changes in Virginia
Since Youngkin took over the governor's mansion in January 2022, the Senate and House of Delegates have struggled to meet in the middle on high-priority issues, such as the state budget.
The split legislature has stymied what the governor has been able to do in office, especially in contrast to other Republican governors. But for the first time in at least 10 years, a Republican trifecta — party control of the governorship and both chambers of the legislature — is possible.
If Republicans take full control of the General Assembly, Virginians will likely see major changes to state law around hot-button issues, like abortion, climate change, and gun control.