When is the deadline to register for the Virginia primary?

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VIRGINIA - The 2026 midterm elections will decide control of the next U.S. Congress and key state leadership, including Virginia’s statewide offices.

Before the general election, each state will hold primaries to determine which candidates appear on the November ballot.

State lawmakers moved the primary election from its traditional June date earlier this year to give election officials and candidates more time to adjust if new congressional district maps are approved through an ongoing redistricting process.

By the numbers:

In Virginia, the August primary will narrow the field of candidates who will compete in the November general election for several important posts, per Ballotpedia. 

• U.S. House of Representatives — All congressional districts will hold primaries to choose nominees.
• U.S. Senate — One seat, currently held by Senator Mark Warner, will be on the ballot in Virginia in 2026.
• Local offices — Municipal and school district elections, including school board races, will also take place in various jurisdictions across the state.

Dig deeper:

The 2026 midterms are expected to be highly competitive and potentially pivotal in determining which party controls the two chambers of Congress. As of April 2026, the Republican Party controls both chambers of Congress. 

On Nov. 3, voters will cast ballots for all 435 U.S. House seats, 35 U.S. Senate seats and numerous state and local positions, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. 

Voters will decide 33 regularly scheduled Senate seats, plus two special elections to fill the seats vacated by J.D. Vance of Ohio and Marco Rubio of Florida, who left Congress to serve as vice president and secretary of state, respectively.

Voter registration and deadlines

What you can do:

Voters in Virginia who want to participate in the state’s 2026 primary must register by Friday, July 24, according to the Virginia Department of Elections. This deadline applies to both new registrations and updates to existing voter registrations.

The primary election will be held on Tuesday, August 4. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is also July 24, while early in-person voting will be available from mid-June through Saturday, August 1.