NORFOLK, Va. — A primary election is being held in Virginia, as voters across the Commonwealth are picking who they want to represent them in the United States Congress later this year.
One of Virginia's two seats in the Senate, and all 11 House of Representatives seats are on the ballot on Nov. 5, 2024. Primary elections for those seats will be held on June 18.
Several races already have party nominees in place, since those candidates didn't have anyone else running against them. The deadline to become a candidate in the Democratic or Republican primaries was April 4.
13News Now has gathered information about the candidates running, dates and deadlines, voter registration and more. Here's what you need to know.
Virginia 2024 primary candidates
U.S. Senate
Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine is seeking re-election for a third term after winning his first election in 2012 and securing another term in 2018. He is automatically the 2024 Democratic nominee since no one else filed to run in the primary.
The Republican field to unseat Kaine is crowded with five candidates vying for the party nomination in the June primary.
The GOP frontrunner is retired Navy combat veteran Hung Cao, while the other candidates are attorney Jonathan Edmord, Army veteran Eddie Garcia, political staffer Scott Parkinson and attorney Chuck Smith.
Virginia's other U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Mark Warner won't be on the ballot until 2026.
U.S. House
All 11 House of Representatives seats in Virginia are on the ballot. Here's a full list of the candidates.
Sample ballots for the 2024 Virginia primary elections
Here is a list of sample ballots broken down by city or county in the Hampton Roads region:
Dates, voter deadlines, and rules for Virginia's June primary
- The last day to register to vote or update your registration is May 28.
- June 7 is the deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot. Your request must be received by your local voter registration office by 5 p.m.
- June 15 is the last day of early in-person voting.
- Primary election day is June 18.
Virginia voter ID rules
People who are voting in person in Virginia will be asked to show a form of identification. Any voter who doesn't have an ID can instead sign a statement affirming their identity, according to the Virginia Department of Elections website. Voters who don't have an ID and don't sign the statement can vote using a provisional ballot.
Virginia voter registration: How to check your status
Before arriving at polling places, Virginians need to be registered to vote. And to be registered, people first have to be eligible to vote per state law.
According to the Virginia Department of Elections, to be eligible to vote in Virginia elections, people must:
- Be a permanent resident of Virginia (not just someone who is here for an extended period).
- Be a U.S. citizen.
- Be 18 years old (Those who are 17 can vote in the primary if they turn 18 by the general election).
- Not be registered and planning to vote in another state.
- Must be mentally competent.
- Convicted felons must have had their voting rights restored.
If you're not sure whether or not you are a registered voter, you can check Virginia voter registration status as well as find your polling place and apply for absentee voting by mail on the Virginia Department of Elections Citizen Portal.
If you need to register to vote after May 28, you'll need to follow Virginia's same-day voter registration guidelines. It is only available in person at the general registrar’s office for your locality, at your satellite early voting site during the early voting period, and at your precinct on Election Day.
Where do I vote? Here's how to find your polling location in Virginia.
Virginia in-person voting
Your polling place for in-person voting is based on the address you use to register to vote. It's usually listed on a paper voter card mailed to voters after they register. The Virginia Department of Elections website also has a polling location lookup tool so you can find the address for your voting location there at any time.
Virginia absentee voting
For absentee voting, you can use the Virginia Department of Elections Citizen Portal or reach out to your voter registrar’s office directly to request an absentee ballot. If you don't know the contact information for your voter registrar, you can look it up by locality online.
Virginia early voting
Early voting is held at your local registrar's office or a satellite voting location in your county or city, and the dates and times for early voting may vary by locality.
You can look up the location, the website, and regular business hours of your local registrar's office via a tool on the Department of Elections website. You may also want to check your local voter registrar's website for specific early voting dates and times — there are usually several weekend days on which they open specifically for early voting.
Do I have to register by political party for the 2024 Virginia primaries?
No, because Virginia has open primaries and doesn't have party registration. Anyone registered to vote can vote in either primary, but no one is allowed to vote in both primaries.
When you go to vote, you'll pick which primary you want to participate in and vote accordingly.
Does Virginia have other races this year?
Yes, the U.S. presidency will be on the ballot in November, but Virginia's primary elections were held in March.
President Joe Biden won Virginia's Democratic presidential primary with 88% of the vote, while former President Donald Trump won the Republican primary with 63%.
There are no state-level elections this year since Virginia holds its legislative and gubernatorial elections on off years. The last state-level election was in November 2023, when both the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates were on the ballot. The next state-level election will be in November 2025.