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Richmond's 2026 midterm early votes surpass governor's race

Sabrina Moreno

Line of people waiting outside a brick building with a red awning and large glass windows; orange traffic cones mark the walkway. A clear sky and trees line the right side. — Snapshot of the line outside Richmond's elections office on Oct. 31, the last day of in-person early voting. Photo: Sabrina Moreno/Axios

Richmond-area voters cast more early ballots in this year's midterms than in last year's governor's race, per an Axios analysis of Virginia Public Access Project data.

Why it matters: There's no governor or president on the ballot, but voters are weighing two competitive Richmond-area races — the 1st and 5th Districts — three constitutional amendments and local school-funding referendums.

By the numbers: More than 219,000 early ballots were cast across Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover through the last day of early voting on Saturday.

That's nearly 12,000 more than last year's gubernatorial election and an 82% jump from the 2022 midterms, per VPAP.
Statewide, more than 1.6 million Virginians had voted early, up 10% from 2025 and 67% from the 2022 midterms.

Zoom in: The 1st and 5th congressional districts, which include parts of the Richmond region, led the state in early ballots, per VPAP.

Stunning stat: Nearly 30,000 ballots, about 13% of the region's total early votes, were recorded across the Richmond area in the final two days of early voting — the busiest stretch of the election so far.

What's driving it: Competitive congressional races, constitutional amendments and expanding early voting locations might be contributing to the surge, according to local registrars and party officials interviewed by the RTD.

What we're watching: More early votes doesn't necessarily mean higher overall turnout.

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Richmond's 2026 midterm early votes surpass governor's race

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