Early voting in Virginia begins just two weeks from Friday. But if some have their way, this could be one of the last odd-year elections in the commonwealth. Virginia is one of the few states with elections every year.
“It’s busy, lots of politics, definitely,” said Amy Adamo, who recently moved here from Tennessee. “I think it’s good when it’s all together.”
A bipartisan General Assembly subcommittee is examining the issue and has until next year to come up with recommendations. It held its last meeting of the year this week and will spend next year developing concrete proposals. One working plan would move gubernatorial elections to presidential election years, like two of Virginia’s neighboring states, West Virginia and North Carolina.
Virginia’s odd-year elections date back to Reconstruction, and the current effort is the first time in decades that the General Assembly is taking such a serious look at the issue. A 1979 report concluded “a “breather” from elections would be a reasonable solution" to discourage voter apathy but made no formal proposals.
As 10 News reported in August, there are mixed feelings about the idea. Some say it would boost voter turnout and provide more efficiencies. Others say it would take the spotlight off local races and give voters less of a voice in reacting to national trends.
“I think that it is a wonderful freedom that we have in America as our civic duty to vote. And I think because we are in constant flux as a society that it’s important to go every year,” said Aggie Hulle, a Roanoke voter. “Because as a society our wants and our dislikes, they change every year anyway. So we might as well reflect that by going every year.”
One proposal would start the transition by 2032, meaning the governor elected in 2029 would serve only a three-year term.
Any change in schedule would require constitutional amendments, meaning the question of changing when Virginians vote would be decided by voters themselves at the polls, likely later this decade.