Why does Virginia hold 'off-year' elections?

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RICHMOND, VA. - There's less than a month until Virginia holds its next general election. 

Voters across the state will cast their ballots for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. They'll also vote to elect all 100 representatives of the Virginia House of Delegates, which serve two-year terms. There are several local races, as well. 

The general election is scheduled for Nov. 4, 2025. But why is it that Virginia is one of only four states that hold elections in "off years?"  

Let's explore. 

Where it all began 

Dig deeper:

Virginians first gained the right to directly elect a governor in 1851, through its new constitution that was ratified that year. That constitution also created the office of the lieutenant governor. 

This constitution held until the end of the Civil War, when a constitutional convention convened to write a new one, in part due to Reconstruction.

Ratification proved difficult for a variety of reasons, according to Virginia Memory; opponents of it spread misinformation about what Black Virginians would be able to do under the new rules, for example. That constitution also included language about Black men being granted the right to vote, which angered opponents of it. After all—Virginia had just been the headquarters of the Confederacy. 

The document was ultimately ratified in 1869 and a general election was held, and it set the Old Dominion on its four-year election course, starting in an odd-numbered year. 

Changes coming? 

Local perspective:

The problem, some would argue, with Virginia's election cycle is that it tends to negatively affect voter turnout. 

According to the Virginia Public Access Project, about 40% of Virginia voters showed up to cast their ballots in 2023. In 2024, a presidential election year, over 70% showed up. It's more difficult to raise voter awareness in off-year elections, as well, according to voting advocacy group Democracy Docket.  

What's next:

Virginia's election schedule may be shifting over the next few years, however.

The newly-formed Elections, Joint Subcommittee to Study the Consolidation and Scheduling of General Elections has been "tasked with weighing the potential and probable effects of moving some or all of Virginia's state or local elections to even-numbered years in order to coincide with the federal election schedule." 

The soonest the state could see this change would be 2032.