Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images
By Sabrina Moreno
Virginia’s elections on Tuesday could reshape the state constitution on abortion, marriage equality and voting rights — and help determine control of the House.
The big picture: On Nov. 3, voters will decide three constitutional amendments and pick members of Congress while Richmond and Chesterfield voters weigh new taxes for school construction.
In one part of the city, Richmonders will also choose a School Board member.
Residents in Chesterfield’s Dale district also have a Board of Supervisors election, but LeQuan Hylton is running unopposed after winning the Democratic primary last month.
Chesterfield’s only contested School Board race is a special election in the Clover Hill District, where first-time candidate Christina Brady faces former Fairfax County School Board member and Trump/Youngkin education official Elizabeth Schultz for a term that runs through 2027, The Richmonder reports.
Key dates: Early voting runs through Oct. 31 and the voter registration deadline is Oct. 23.
Check your early voting sites here and look up your congressional district here.
Here’s what to know before you vote:
📜 The constitutional amendments
Reproductive rights: Would protect abortion and reproductive health care decisions, including birth control and miscarriage management.
Marriage equality: Would constitutionally protect gay and interracial marriage.
Voting rights: Would automatically restore voting rights after someone convicted of a felony completes their prison sentence.
Who’s on the ballot?
Every Richmond-area voter will see races for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House.
U.S. Senate: Democratic Sen. Mark Warner is seeking his fourth and final term against Republican Bert Mizusawa.
U.S. House: Most Richmond-area voters are in the 1st and 4th Congressional Districts, with Goochland and parts of Hanover in the 5th.
1st District: Incumbent Republican Rep. Rob Wittman faces Democrat and Henrico’s Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor.
4th District: Democratic incumbent Rep. Jennifer McClellan faces Republican Robert Murray Jr. and independent Joan Bell.
5th District: Republican incumbent John McGuire is up against attorney and former congressman Tom Perriello and independent Cooke Harvey.
1% sales hike for school construction
Richmond and Chesterfield voters — along those with 45 other localities — will decide whether to give their governments the authority to add up to a 1% sales tax dedicated to public school construction and major renovations.
Between the lines: Groceries and essential personal hygiene items wouldn’t be subject to the additional tax.
In Richmond, officials say it could generate about $47 million a year.
Mayor Avula has pledged to seek a 1% cut in the meals tax and proposed lowering the real estate tax rate by 1 cent if voters approve the referendum.
In Chesterfield, the tax is projected to generate up to $70 million annually for school reconstruction.
If approved, supervisors have signaled plans to cut the real estate tax rate by 2 cents and the personal property tax rate by 10 cents.
🏫 Richmond’s School Board race
Richmond’s 6th District, which runs from downtown Richmond and Jackson Ward to Northside and Manchester, has a special election for the School Board seat vacated by Shonda Harris-Muhammed last year.
Anne Holton, the former Virginia education secretary who was appointed to temporarily fill the seat in February, is running to keep it.
She’s facing Jackie McDonnough, a longtime Richmond educator and former VCU professor.
What we’re watching: The race comes as RPS faces major questions over aging and mold-plagued school buildings, budget cuts and how to pay for hundreds of millions of dollars in construction needs.
