Another year and another election has come and gone in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Now eyes turn toward the 2027 Session and the 2027 Virginia General Assembly elections, where all 140 members will be on the ballot. First, let’s take a look at how the recent ballot was formed and some of the unofficial results.
Constitutional Amendments
Altering Virginia’s Constitution is an extensive multi-step process. A voter referendum is the final step. First, a member of the General Assembly must introduce legislation for the amendment, and it must receive a majority vote in both chambers of the General Assembly. Note that it does not require or permit action by the Governor. Following its approval, there must be an election of the House of Delegates, and the new General Assembly must again pass the amendment.
Question 1: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) protect the freedom to make personal decisions about prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion, miscarriage management, and fertility care; (ii) protect doctors, nurses, and patients from being punished for these decisions; and (iii) allow for restrictions on access to abortion during the third trimester of pregnancy except when the patient’s health is at risk or the pregnancy cannot survive? Passed with a 62.39% Yes vote
Question 2: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) remove the ban on same-sex marriage; (ii) affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race; and (iii) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law? Passed with 57.38% Yes vote
Question 3: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended (i) to provide for the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth, (ii) to revise the qualifications of voters so that a person convicted of a felony is not entitled to vote during his period of incarceration but is automatically invested with the right to vote upon release from incarceration, and (iii) to update the existing prohibition on voting by persons found to be mentally incompetent to instead apply to persons who have been found to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting? Passed with a 56.47% Yes vote
Sales Tax
Prior to the passage of HB544 (Askew) and SB498 (Aird) from the 2026 Session, a limited number of localities were authorized to adopt, by referendum, a 1% sales tax for the purpose of school construction. This limited list included Charlotte County, Danville City, Gloucester County, Halifax County, Henry County, Northampton County, Patrick County, and Pittsylvania County. The new legislation allows all localities the option to adopt this 1% sales tax. 47 localities voted on this new taxing authority, but it was only approved in 15.
| Locality | Vote |
| Albemarle County | Passed with a 53.58% Yes vote |
| Alleghany County | Failed with a 66.45% No vote |
| Amelia County | Failed with a 62.55% No vote |
| Augusta County | Failed with a 65.96% No vote |
| Buena Vista City | Passed with a 61.39% Yes vote |
| Charlottesville City | Passed with a 71.58% Yes vote |
| Chesterfield County | Passed with a 50.47% Yes vote |
| Convington City | Failed with 68.49% No vote |
| Emporia City | Failed with a 58.26% No vote |
| Essex County | Failed with a 58.15% No vote |
| Fairfax City | Passed with a 55.70% Yes vote |
| Floyd County | Failed with a 57.14% No vote |
| Fluvanna County | Failed with a 53.55% No vote |
| Franklin County | Failed with a 62.24% No vote |
| Frederick County | Failed with a 56.11% No vote |
| Giles County | Failed with a 61.13% No vote |
| Grayson County | Failed with a 67.90% No vote |
| Greene County | Failed with a 54.58% No vote |
| Greensville County | Failed with a 58.76% No vote |
| Isle of Wight County | Failed with a 54.55% No vote |
| King and Queen County | Failed with a 61.38% No vote |
| Lexington City | Passed with a 69.60% No vote |
| Madison County | Failed with a 51.01% No vote |
| Martinsville City | Passed with a 50.06% Yes vote. A 5-vote difference. |
| Mathews County | Failed with a 52.44% No vote. |
| Middlesex County | Passed with a 51.15% Yes vote |
| Nelson County | Failed with 51.07% No vote |
| New Kent County | Failed with a 60.75% No vote |
| Newport News City | Failed with a 59.02% No vote |
| Norfolk City | Failed with a 55.84% No vote |
| Nottoway County | Failed with a 54.07% No vote |
| Orange County | Failed with a 51.26% No vote |
| Portsmouth City | Failed with a 61.25% No vote |
| Powhatan County | Failed with a 67.69% No vote |
| Price Edward County | Passed with 54.56% Yes vote |
| Pulaski county | Failed with a 61.54% No vote |
| Radford City | Passed with a 64.69% Yes vote |
| Rappahannock County | Passed with a 53.45% Yes vote |
| Richmond City | Passed with a 67.82% Yes vote |
| Smyth County | Failed with a 71.51% No vote |
| Stafford County | Failed with a 50.47% No vote |
| Staunton City | Passed with a 57.12% Yes vote |
| Sussex County | Failed with a 56.38% No vote |
| Waynesboro City | Passed with a 63.27% Yes vote |
| Winchester City | Passed with a 56.07% Yes vote |
| Wythe County | Failed with a 63.40% No vote |
| York County | Failed with a 61.01% No vote |
House of Delegates District 20 Special Election
In May of this year, Delegate Michelle Maldonado resigned from her seat, creating a vacancy and need for a Special Election.
Delegate-Elect Sonia Vaquez won the election Tuesday nigher over Nathaniel Fritzen (R) 69.64% to 30.14%. She immigrated to the United States from El Salvador in 2001. She earned an Associate of Science in Business Administration from Northern Virginia Community College and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the National Labor College. She was first elected to the Manassas City Council in 2022. During her time on the Council, she served on the Joint Interjurisdictional Ad Hoc Committee, the Virginia Railway Express Committee, as Vice Chair of the Metropolitan Washington Air Quality Committee, the Towing Ordinance Advisory Board, and more.
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