2026: An Impactful Voting Year for Virginians, Part 1

2026 will be an impactful year for Virginians because four constitutional amendments will be on the ballot, along with a Democratic primary election in June and the midterm elections in November. VPM reported that Governor Spanberger signed bills authorizing referendums for the amendments on 2/6/2026.

This is the first article in a four-part series that will take a closer look at three of these amendments. Here are some key dates to keep in mind and a summary of the proposed amendments.

April 21* – Referendum on the amendment to allow for a mid-decade redrawing of congressional districts ahead of Virginia’s midterms this fall. On February 13, 2026, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that this amendment could be placed on the ballot in the referendum scheduled for April 21. On February 19, however, a Circuit Court judge in Tazewell County granted a temporary restraining order requested by the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee. The order is in effect until March 18, which poses a problem since early voting on the redistricting amendment was scheduled to begin on March 6.

Virginia’s Attorney General, Jay Jones, indicated that he will appeal this decision. It seems likely that the Virginia Supreme Court will hear this appeal very soon, since as noted above, it already ruled in a separate case that the proposed amendment could be voted on in the April 21 referendum.

There are two other important facts to note about this proposed amendment.

• One, the opinion does not mean that the Supreme Court found the proposed amendment to be constitutional. It means that Virginians can vote on the proposed amendment while the Supreme Court deliberates the case. The Court said that it will hear the case on an expedited basis.
• Two, if approved by Virginia voters and upheld by the Supreme Court, the redistricting map is temporary, meaning that the state will revert to the prior map after the 2030 census.

June 16* – Virginia will hold a primary election to choose the Democratic and Republican candidates who are running for the U.S. Senate, the House of Representatives, and local offices. Early in-person voting is from 5/1/2026 through 6/13/2026. *There is a proposal in the state budget legislation to move this primary election to 8/4. If that proposal is passed, early voting would begin on 6/19 instead. Stay tuned to see if this rider to the budget is approved.

November 3 – Virginia will hold a general election and vote on three constitutional amendments. In the general election, voters will choose who will represent them in the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and in various local offices. Early in-person voting is from 9/18/2026 through 10/31/2026.

Overview of the three civil rights amendments

• House Joint (HJ) Resolution No. 1 proposes recognizing the “fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” including decisions concerning “prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, abortion care, miscarriage management, and fertility care.”
• HJ No. 2 proposes to restore several rights to felons who have served their sentences, including the right to vote, the right to serve on a jury, the right to become a notary public, and the right to run for public office.
• HJ No. 9 would ensure that marriages between same-sex and interracial couples are legally recognized and protected in Virginia.

Stay tuned for a deeper dive into HJ Resolution No. 1 in our next newsletter.

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