NORFOLK, Va. — Virginia voters participating in the 2023 general elections Tuesday decided which political party controls the state government.
Democrats were able to maintain their hold on the Virginia Senate, and took back control of the House of Delegates after two years of a Republican majority.
Every seat in the Virginia General Assembly was up for election this year. Leading up to the elections, Democrats had a razor-thin majority in the Senate, while the Republicans controlled the House of Delegates. That's caused a political stalemate in Virginia's legislature for the last two years.
ELECTION RESULTS: Live election results for 2023 Virginia Senate, House of Delegate races in Hampton Roads
In addition to the state-level elections, there are local races for school boards, boards of supervisors, and more across Hampton Roads. Residents in Gloucester County will also be asked to vote on a capital improvements bond referendum.
Follow along below as our team of journalists brings you the latest updates on Election Day 2023 from voters at the polls, election officials, candidates and political analysts.
5:00 p.m. — Monty Mason concedes to Danny Diggs
The race for the Senate District 24 seat has been announced and Monty Mason released his concession statement saying, “I congratulate Mr. Diggs on a hard fought win and wish him the best of luck in his service to the people of the 24th district. We have our differences, but I believe in my heart that he wants what is best for his community - just like I have for the last ten years, and will continue to everyday in the future."
3:00 p.m. — AP projects Danny Diggs victory over Monty Mason
Republican Danny Diggs has officially beat out Democratic incumbent Monty Mason in the hotly-contested Virginia Senate District 24 race, the Associated Press projects. Diggs is leading Mason 51 to 49%. The two are separated by just over 1,000 votes.
6:50 a.m. — Senate race between Monty Mason, Danny Diggs too close to call
As of 6:50 a.m., the Senate race in the 24th District is too close to call.
According to the Virginia Department of Elections, Republican Danny Diggs is leading Democratic incumbent Monty Mason 50 to 49%. The two are separated by just over 1,000 votes.
The current election results don't show provisional ballots and post-election votes, which are mailed ballots postmarked by Election Day and can be received up until noon Monday, Nov. 13.
“This has been an extremely hard fought election and things are coming down to the wire,” Mason wrote in a statement late Tuesday night. “At this time, it appears like the race is too close to call, but we will continue to tally votes as they come in and look forward to having a final result.
In a statement early Wednesday morning, Diggs claimed victory in the election, despite the outstanding votes to be counted. This race has not been called yet.
12:36 a.m. — Brewer defeats Jenkins while Democrats retake House
According to unofficial results, the Associated Press has declared that Democrats have retaken the House of Delegates while also holding onto the state Senate.
Tuesday’s outcome is a sharp loss for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who exerted a great deal of energy, money, and political capital on an effort to secure a GOP trifecta. With a full statehouse majority, Democrats will have even greater leeway to thwart Youngkin’s policy agenda, though they will have to work with him to advance their own.
Meanwhile, the AP has called another closely watched Senate race but it is for a Republican candidate: the sprawling 17th District --which spans all of Suffolk, Isle of Wight County, Southampton County, Brunswick County, Greensville County, Franklin City, Emporia City and parts of Portsmouth, Dinwiddie County and Chesapeake -- will go to GOP candidate Emily Brewer over Democrat Clinton Jenkins. With 93% of the precincts reporting, Brewer is leading Jenkins 53-47%.
11:50 p.m. — Rouse defeats Adams for Senate District 22, Feggans defeats Greenhalgh for House District 97
In Virginia's Senate 22nd District, Democrat Aaron Rouse is officially victorious over Republican Kevin Adams.
In House District 97, Democrat Michael Feggans won against Republican Karen Greenhalgh.
11:30 p.m. — Youngkin advisor acknowledges Republicans came up short
Dave Rexrode, the chairman of Gov. Youngkin's Spirit of Virginia PAC, took to X (formerly known as Twitter) late Tuesday night to weigh in on the election results.
"We are still monitoring a couple key races and will fully assess where things stand in the morning," Rexrode posted. "We had hoped for a stronger outcome this evening but are proud of the effort all of our candidates put in to these extremely competitive districts."
The Spirit of Virginia PAC was heavily involved in this year's General Assembly elections to help Republicans secure full control of the General Assembly, which would enable a "trifecta" in state government.
The PAC broke fundraising numbers, including $3 million in contributions from Republican megadonor Thomas Peterffy, who has repeatedly expressed interest in a Youngkin 2024 presidential campaign.
11:25 p.m. — Virginia Democrats hold Senate majority
The Associated Press reports that Virginia Democrats will hold the Senate majority, ending the GOP bid to win full control of state government. The House majority is still unclear.
In a statement, Democratic Party of Virginia Chairwoman Susan Swecker said the election results are a sign people voted for "common sense leadership and problem solvers," not "extremism and culture wars."
"Voters across Virginia voted for leadership that will protect their abortion rights, keep guns out of the wrong hands, and lower costs for Virginia’s families," Swecker wrote in a statement. "Thank you to all the voters who showed up at the polls and voted for our Democratic candidates.”
11:20 p.m. — Winners declared in House Districts 84, 86, 96, 99, Senate District 26
Democrat Nadarius Clark is officially victorious over Republican Michael Dillender for the 84th House District.
In District 86, Republican A. C. Cordoza won over Democrat Jarris Louis Taylor Jr.
In District 96, Democrat Kelly Convirs-Fowler beat both Republican Michael Karslake and Independent Nicholas Olenik.
Republican Anne Ferrell Tata beat Democrat Cat Porterfield for District 99.
For Senate District 26, Republican Ryan McDougle is victorious over Democrat Pamela Garner.
Democrat Michael Feggans is declaring victory over Republican Karen Greenhalgh, but the race is still too close to call.
11:00 p.m. — Diggs, Rouse, Clark declare victories, but races still too close to call
Republican Danny Diggs declared victory over Democrat Monty Mason for Senate District 24, but the race has not been called by the Associated Press. As of 11 p.m., Diggs only has a razor-thin 55-vote lead over Mason.
In Virginia's Senate 22nd District, Democrat Aaron Rouse has declared victory over Republican Kevin Adams. This race hasn't been officially called yet, either, but Rouse's lead grew by about 5,000 votes in a 15-minute span.
Democrat Nadarius Clark declared victory over Republican Michael Dillender despite no official winner. Clark's lead currently sits at about 1,500 votes above Dillender.
10:30 p.m. — Louise Lucas wins Senate District 18, winners called in House Districts 83, 87, 100
Democrat Louise Lucas was re-elected to Virginia's 18th Senate District, and is thanking voters on social media.
For the House of Delegates, Republican Otto Wachsmann was victorious over Democrat Mary Person for District 83.
In District 87, Democrat Jeion Ward won over Republican John Chapman.
In District 100, Republican Robert S. Bloxom Jr. beat Democrat Charlena Jones.
9:10 p.m. — Republicans claim District 19 and 20, Democrat wins District 13 in Virginia Senate
Republican Christie New Craig wins over Republican Myra Payne in District 19.
Democrat Lashrecse Aird wins over Republican Eric Ditri in District 13.
Republican William DeSteph wins over Democrat Victoria Luevanos in District 20.
9 p.m. — Voter turnout numbers updated for Hampton Roads cities, counties
Voter turnout numbers from Virginia Department of Elections election results website, as of 9 p.m.
Chesapeake: 29,615 ballots cast, 16.69% voter turnout, 177,432 registered voters
Gloucester Co.: 11,087 ballots cast, 36.45% voter turnout, 30,414 registered voters
Hampton: No info provided.
James City County: 15,555 ballots cast, 24.21% voter turnout, 64,261 registered voters (Election day ballots fully reported)
Newport News: 28,152 ballots cast, 22.91% voter turnout, 122,901 registered voters
Norfolk: 29,992 ballots cast, 21.57% voter turnout, 139,058 registered voters (early voting, election day and mailed absentee ballots fully reported)
Poquoson: No info provided.
Portsmouth: 18,610 ballots cast, 27.12% voter turnout, 68,612 registered voters
Suffolk: 78,069 ballots cast, 71,942 registered voters (early voting and election day ballots fully reported)
Virginia Beach: 37,988 ballots cast, 11.50% voter turnout, 330,374 registered voters
York County: 13,800 ballots cast, 27.02% voter turnout, 51,076 registered voters
Williamsburg: 3,301 ballots cast, 31.96% voter turnout, 10,329 registered voters (early voting, election day and mailed absentee ballots fully reported)
9 p.m. — Democrats Virginia House District 70
Democrat Shelly Simonds claims victory in Virginia House District 70 over Republican Matt Waters and Libertarian Michael Bartley.
8:50 p.m. — Attorney General Jason Miyares stops by Republican Danny Diggs' watch party
A Newport News ballroom was packed with supporters of Republican candidate Danny Diggs, including Attorney General Jason Miyares. The closely-watched Senate District 24 election between Diggs and Democrat Monty Mason is neck-and-neck.
Both Diggs and Miyares spoke positively about the day, but not without criticism of the electoral process.
"We are a little disappointed because of the electoral process. We are getting some early returns in that we feel good about. But there is these early votes that haven’t been counted yet. It’s kind of delaying the process," Diggs said.
Miyares said the election has been smooth, and that he's excited about it.
"This represents the best of democracy. If you think about it so many people who woke up on this planet don’t have the ability to participate in democracy, so this is the very, very best of what Virginia is," Miyares said.
In Williamsburg, Democrat State Sen. Monty Mason joined a crowd of supporters at The Corner Pocket. He said the last minute push to students at Christopher Newport University and William and Mary to seek same-day voter registration.
"Today, the story is likely going to be provisional ballots," Mason said. "Those provisional ballots take a little bit to count, but could make an enormous difference."
8:20 p.m. — Tight race between Del. Karen Greenhalgh and Michael Feggans
At Del. Greenhalgh's watch party in Virginia Beach's Town Center, anticipation is building. The race for House District 97 is tight.
Greenhalgh's Democratic challenger Michael Feggans is at a watch party with Aaron Rouse as their supporters keep an eye on the numbers, too.
Both candidates expressed their individual goals of helping their parties gain control of the General Assembly.
8:15 p.m. — Republicans victorious in Virginia House District 90
Republican candidate James Leftwich Jr. wins the 90th District seat in the Virginia House of Delegates over Democrat Jeremy Rodden.
8:10 p.m. — Democrat Phil Hernandez secures Norfolk’s 94th House District seat
Democrat Phil Hernandez released a statement saying he's "honored to be the Delegate-Elect" for Norfolk's 94th House District after the Virginia House Democratic Caucus declared his victory.
“Our team is already preparing to hit the ground running for the 2024 Legislative Session," Hernandez said in a statement. "As I promised on the campaign trail, I’ll work to protect reproductive rights, fully fund our public schools, curb senseless gun violence in Hampton Roads, and help everyday families make ends meet. I’m excited to get to work serving you.”
Hernandez is now the youngest Latino elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, according to a statement released by the caucus.
8 p.m. — Democrats claim first handful of Virginia Senate, House elections
In the first hour after polls closed, Democrat candidates claimed victory in Virginia Senate District 21 and House districts 88, 91, 92 and 93.
7 p.m. — Polls close in Virginia 2023 elections
Voting is now closed for Virginia's 2023 elections, except for any voters who were in line at their polling location at 7 p.m. The vote-counting process will begin soon — follow election results live on our "2023 General Election Results for Virginia" landing page.
There, you'll find a complete breakdown of all races across the Hampton Roads region for this election — just make sure to select an option in the "Location/Group" drop-down menu.
And don't miss our Election Night special report at 9 p.m. on 13NewsNow+ (our free streaming app on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV) as results start to roll in!
6 p.m. — 1 hour until polls close in Virginia 2023 elections
Voters officially have less than one hour to cast their ballots. Once they close, election officials will start the process of counting votes and reporting results. Don't worry if there's a line when you get to your polling site — as long as you're in line before 7 p.m., you'll be able to vote.
5 p.m. — Youngkin weighs in on Virginia's 2023 election
Just hours before the vote-counting process begins across Virginia, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin spoke with 13News Now and weighed in on the importance of this election and what he expects to see.
"I believe that Virginians have a lot riding on this election," Youngkin said, adding that there are a number of issues the new legislature will need to tackle. The rising cost of living, improving education, and bolstering law enforcement are among those concerns.
4:30 p.m. — Newport News voters cast ballots to funky music at one polling site
Some good tunes were playing at the Yates Elementary polling site in Newport News, as a steady stream of voters arrived to cast their ballots. The organization Virginia DJs at the Polls is behind the music, and Wayne Gomes is the DJ. He said he started playing at 7 a.m.
“I got my first Elvis Presley request so I am excited about that. People are really having a good time with it. Waving and having a good time. So it’s been a fun experience for me and for the citizens," he said.
A big race for this area is Senate District 24. Incumbent Democrat Senator Monty Mason and former York-Poquoson Sheriff Republican Danny Diggs are battling for this seat. Newport News voters make up about 50 percent of this newly drawn district.
Other voters in Newport News have the Senate District 23 race on their ballot, where Senator Mamie Locke is running unopposed.
4 p.m. — Suffolk residents motivated to vote in election because of possible consequences
At the Kings Fork Middle School polling site in Suffolk, there were no long lines and voters were getting in and out pretty quickly Tuesday afternoon.
Voters there are in Senate District 17 and House District 84, which includes Suffolk, Isle of Wight County, Southampton County and part of Chesapeake and Portsmouth, among other areas.
On the ballot are two sitting delegates vying for the 17th District — Emily Brewer, a Republican, vs Clinton Jenkins, a Democrat — and Democrat incumbent Nadarius Clark facing Republican Mike Dillender for the 84th District.
The voters who spoke to 13News Now didn't want to share who they’re voting for but they said since this is an election with a lot of consequences, they wanted to make sure their vote counts.
"It’s important for me to come out and vote today because there’s a lot of seats available in the House right now for Virginia," said voter Vincent Russell. "I just want to make sure I vote to make sure the candidate I have will get in the House."
3:30 p.m. — Chesapeake, Virginia Beach polling sites start seeing afternoon rush of voters
As of 3 p.m., the city of Chesapeake has seen a voter turnout of about 20% of its 177,432 registered voters.
One polling site in the city, Alexander Baptist Church, was busy with voters Tuesday afternoon. 13News Now's Angelique Arintok says many people were bringing young family members to the polls with them, including a mom and her 15-year-old son.
Two higher profile races in the city include the Ennis-Jenkins matchup for House District 89 and Lucas-Goodwin for Senate District 18.
At the polling location next to Princess Anne High School on Virginia Beach Boulevard, more and more voters were showing up Tuesday afternoon. It's one of the precincts where residents will vote for the House District 97 race between Republican Karen Greenhalgh and Democrat Michael Feggans.
13News Now spoke to one voter who said the topic of women's reproductive rights was what motivated her to cast her ballot.
"Women's rights, I think that everybody has a right to their own body," Alvina Beverly said. "They have a right to their decision and nobody should make that decision for them, so I'm against that."
2:45 p.m. — Initial voter turnout reported across Hampton Roads
Virginia Beach: As of noon, 37,000 city residents had voted on Election Day, while 17,371 voted by mail and 22,703 voted early in person. According to the Virginia Beach registrar, the city has 330,000 registered voters.
Poquoson: As of 2 p.m., 1,821 people had voted out of 9,613 registered voters, and 1,975 people voted early.
York County: As of 2 p.m., 8,430 people had cast their ballot on Election Day out of 51,076 registered voters. And 13,262 people had voted early.
Gloucester: As of 1 p.m., 8,656 people total had voted out of the city's 30,414 registered voters. This includes early votes. Early Voting ended Saturday with 2,714 votes and another 731 votes absentee by mail.
Portsmouth: According to the city's voter registrar, 3,312 people had voted before Election Day; that's about 5% of the city's 68,612 registered voters. As of 3 p.m. on Election Day, the city had seen 9,615 voters, which is a 15% voter turnout
Chesapeake: The city has 177,432 registered voters, according to the local registrar, and had seen a 20% voter turnout by about 3 p.m. on Election Day. About 15,965 had voted early.
Williamsburg: The City of Williamsburg has 10,330 registered voters and 1,811 voters voted early for this election, according to the city's registrar. As of 3 p.m. on Election Day, another 1,465 people had voted in-person.
11:45 a.m. — Voting lines in Virginia Beach moving swiftly
13News Now's Emily Harrison said the lines to vote at Kempsville Library, Kempsville Elementary School and Kempsville Presbyterian Church have moved swiftly Tuesday morning.
Voters described the process to 13News Now as taking less than five minutes. Some people stood ready outside as early as 5:30 a.m.
11:30 a.m. — Nearly 800,000 Virginians voted early, election officials say
In a Tuesday morning update, the Virginia Department of Elections Commissioner Susan Beals said 789,704 ballots were cast early, either by in-person voting or by mail. Of those, 553,532 votes were early in-person and 210,732 were returned by mail.
Beals also said 930,928 absentee ballots were requested for this election.
During the update, Beals demonstrated the department's online results page, which will show incoming results by five different types of voting methods:
- Early voting: Ballots from people who voted during 45 days of early voting.
- Election Day: Ballots from people who voted in a precinct on Election Day.
- Mailed absentee: Ballots that was cast over the mail.
- Provisional: Provisional ballots that will be considered at the provision ballot meeting.
- Post-election: Mail ballots that were postmarked by Election Day and can be received up until noon Monday, Nov. 13.
The page will also break down results by individual races, localities and precincts.
7:45 a.m. — Virginia Department of Elections to provide 2 updates Tuesday
The Virginia Department of Elections will hold two briefings Tuesday, the first one at 11 a.m. and the second at 7 p.m.
During the briefings, Virginia Commissioner of Elections Susan Beals will provide updates on how the voting process is going across the Commonwealth. Follow this story for the latest coverage.
6 a.m. — Polls open for Virginia Election Day 2023
Election Day voting has begun! Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Virginia. Any voter who is in line to vote at 7 p.m. will be able to vote.
To find a polling place near you, visit the Virginia Department of Elections website.
Virginia is offering same-day voter registration. That means if you go in person to cast your ballot, you can register at that time if you haven't already done so.
Same-day registration means you will have to vote with a provisional ballot. Elections officials will have to verify voters paperwork before the ballot can count.
5:30 a.m. — Poll workers in Virginia Beach set up
13News Now reporter Emily Harrison says that it is still quiet out, but poll workers are setting up lines and signs for curbside voting in Virginia Beach.
A line started to form outside of one voting location in Virginia Beach before 6 a.m.
Virginia Beach is known for switching hands from election to election, and it will be an area to watch for this year's election, too.
In the 2020 presidential election, Democrat Joe Biden won the city with 51% of the vote. A year later, in the governor's election, Republican Glenn Youngkin won with the same percentage.
One of the competitive races in Virginia Beach this year is in the 97th House District, where incumbent Del. Karen Greenhalgh, a Republican, is facing Democratic challenger Michael Feggans.
Virginia Voting Guide 2023
Tuesday, Nov. 7 is the first election under new Virginia General Assembly district boundaries based on the 2020 U.S. Census — so it's likely your districts have changed since the last election.
To look up your voting districts and polling location, use the citizen portal on the Virginia Department of Elections website. For more voting information and a breakdown of the races and candidates across Hampton Roads, check out the 13News Now voting guide.
Sample ballots for Virginia 2023 elections
In Virginia, there is no state-run centralized website to view sample ballots. Instead, the voter registrar in each city and county is likely to may their sample ballots available online. Choose your locality below to visit their website:
What to know before voting in Virginia
Why Virginia's 2023 elections are important
- All eyes on Virginia for 'one of the most critical elections' in recent years
- What Virginia's 2023 elections could mean for abortion, climate initiatives, gun control
- Election predictions: Will Republicans win full control of the Virginia General Assembly?
- What's at stake for Democrats, Republicans in Virginia's closely-watched 2023 elections
- Poll indicates Virginians care most about the economy, abortion when deciding vote for 2023 elections
- Virginia's 2023 election: What to expect in the race for control of the state legislature