Virginia special election turnout closely tracking last year's election, experts say

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — Voters are turning out in unusually high numbers for a special election referendum in Virginia, with participation tracking closely to last year’s gubernatorial general election.

In less than two weeks, voters across the commonwealth will head to the polls to vote on the controversial redistricting referendum. The current congressional map, created by the state Supreme Court in 2021 after the bipartisan commission could not reach an agreement, has Republicans holding five seats while Democrats hold six.

However, the map proposed by Virginia Democrats, if passed, would give them 10 seats in Congress, while Republicans would hold just one. In the meantime, voters are already heading to the polls and making their voices heard.

Statewide data comparing ballots cast this year to last year show turnout running slightly behind 2025 totals at the same point. About 924,000 ballots had been cast so far in the current election, compared with 977,000 ballots cast at this point in 2025.





https://wset.com/news/local/virginia-special-election-turnout-closely-tracking-last-years-election-experts-say-redistricting-congressional-maps-referendum-republicans-democrats-voters-april-2026