(The Center Square) – Virginia voters will cast primary ballots later than usual this year after lawmakers shifted the election from June to August.
House Bill 29, signed into law Friday, sets the 2026 primary for Aug. 4. The change applies only to this year’s election cycle and replaces Virginia’s long-standing practice of holding primaries in June.
Moving the primary also resets several deadlines. Early in-person voting begins June 19 and runs through Aug. 1. The deadline to register or update an existing voter registration is July 24.
Voters who miss that cutoff may still register and vote using a provisional ballot under Virginia’s same-day registration rules, which begin July 25.
Absentee voting follows the revised schedule as well. Requests for mailed absentee ballots will be accepted through July 24. Completed mailed absentee ballots must be postmarked by Aug. 4 and received by the voter’s General Registrar’s Office by noon on Aug. 7 to be counted.
The calendar adjustment comes ahead of a statewide referendum scheduled for April 21 addressing Virginia’s redistricting rules. The proposal asks voters whether the commonwealth should revise the process used to draw congressional and legislative districts.
State law specifies that the primary date change is not connected to the referendum. The August primary will proceed regardless of whether voters approve the measure or whether the referendum is ultimately held.
If new district lines are adopted, election officials must adjust precinct assignments, update voter records, and prepare ballots that reflect the revised boundaries.
For voters, the impact is mostly about timing. Registration, early voting, and absentee ballot deadlines now land later in the summer, replacing the June schedule Virginians typically see.
