NORFOLK, Va. — Virginians made their voices heard in this midterm election.
Voters turned out in record numbers without a U.S. Senate race on the ballot, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
Preliminary numbers indicate at least 49% of registered voters in Virginia cast a ballot this election cycle.
Going back 40 years, that’s a record for a midterm like this, with only U.S. House elections on the ballot.
Historically, voter turnout is much higher when there is also a U.S. Senator to elect.
And Virginians really show up in force during Presidential elections.
We found turnout averages about 75% every four years for Presidential elections, according to available numbers from the Virginia Department of Elections dating back to 1976.
The Virginia Public Access Project breaks down the turnout numbers by Congressional district.
The First Congressional District had the best turnout, with 58% of registered voters. That’s where Republican Incumbent Rob Wittman beat two challengers.
The Luria-Kiggans race in District 2 brought out just about 51% of registered voters.
The Third Congressional District had the lowest turnout rate. That's where Congressman Bobby Scott has faced little competition during his nearly 30 years in office and just won his 16th straight election.
The total voter turnout numbers could change in the coming days, as election officials count any remaining ballots.
This coming Monday is the deadline for mail-in ballots to arrive and be counted, so long as they were postmarked by Election Day.