12:50 a.m. Republican statewide candidates, governor elect Youngkin take the stage to address supporters
FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE POLLS CLOSED: Glenn Youngkin speaks to his supporters after the Virginia Governor's race is called in his favor #VAgov pic.twitter.com/AuqKLmBniM
— 8News WRIC Richmond (@8NEWS) November 3, 2021
12:40 a.m. Statewide election race results start to solidify, Youngkin declared new governor by the Associated Press
More on Glenn Youngkin’s victory can be found here: Glenn Youngkin wins Virginia governor’s race
11:45 p.m. Richmond has 550 provisional ballots to count in addition to absentee
According to Richmond electoral board chairman James Nachman, the city still has 550 provisional ballets left to verify and count. These will most likely be counted on Friday.
Friday is also the last day for the registrar’s office to receive outstanding absentee ballots.
Richmond’s big local race, the casino referendum, is still undecided at the end of Tuesday night but it seems likely that the no votes will edge out the yeses. 8News breaks those numbers down here.
10:15 p.m. Democrat Terry McAuliffe addresses crowd at election night party
Former governor and Democratic nominee for governor Terry McAuliffe addressed the crowd and press at his election night event in Tysons Corner around 10 p.m. McAuliffe thanked his supporters and his family but he did not concede to Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin.
The current numbers have Youngkin in the lead but McAuliffe said there are still a lot of votes to count and is holding out for more results.
9:20 p.m. Republicans at Glenn Youngkin’s election night event hopeful that Virginia statewide spots will go red
8News Reporter Alex Thorson is at the Glenn Youngkin election night in Chantilly, Virginia. There GOP Chairman Rich Anderson said he thinks republicans will have a clean sweep of the statewide races.
The room is filling up with Youngkin supporters all in good spirits about the candidate’s current lead.
Youngkin is expected to address the crowd tonight but it is unclear what time that will be.
Follow along with @Alex8news on Twitter for updates.
8:35 p.m. Richmond expects to start publishing election results soon, flipping process to speed things up
The City of Richmond electoral board chair James Nachman tells 8News that Richmond is not experiencing any kind of delay in reporting after being asked why no election results have been posted yet. As of 8:30 p.m., the city was not showing results from any of their precincts.
Nachman said the elections officers were working on bringing back unofficial results. He said they were planning to report absentee ballots first but are now switching to counting in-person votes first.
Results are expected to start showing up soon.
8:05 p.m. Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Elections says Election Day was overwhelmingly a good day
Virginia Department of Elections Commissioner Chris Piper gave an update at 8 p.m. on Election Day. Piper said it was a good day for Virginia with elections going smoothly with the exception of a few hiccups.
The following counties had reports of ballot shortages:
- Appomattox
- Floyd
- Powhatan
- Madison
- Albemarle
- Chesterfield
In Powhatan County, precincts made photocopied ballots that are being hand counted tonight.
In Chesterfield County, two precincts ran out of ballots but Piper said voting went unimpeded. Instead of the paper ballots they used a ballot marking device designed for disabled voters.
7:47 p.m. McAuliffe campaign says early votes in Fairfax need to be rescanned, could delay election results
According to Virginia Capitol Bureau Reporter Jackie DeFusco, Terry McAuliffe’s campaign says Fairfax County will not meet their self-imposed deadline to count early votes. Their goal was 8 p.m.
The campaign also says that a portion of the county’s early votes will need be rescanned and that could relay the results.
Jackie is reporting from the democratic election night gathering in northern Virginia. Follow her updates on Twitter.
7:10 p.m. Virginia voters rank economy as top issue in governor’s race, according to the AP
According to the Associated Press, in the contest between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin, 34% of Virginia voters say the economy and jobs was the most important issue facing the state. The survey was conducted by AP VoteCast and published today.
The second biggest selection was COVID-19, which 17% of voters said was the most important issue. Education followed with 14%. The rest of the options included health care (7%), climate change (7%), racism (5%), immigration (5%), abortion (5%) and law enforcement (4%).
6:30 p.m. Photos from the Democratic ticket election night event and Election Day Republican campaign signs
6:00 p.m. Alex Thorson and Jackie Defusco report on the Virginia Governor’s race
5:15 p.m. 8News political analyst discusses how turnout could impact election results
Early estimates point towards a high voter turnout in Virginia. This year’s turnout is expected to exceed the 2017 election. 8News Political Analyst Rich Meagher tells us that these estimates suggest Republicans and Democrats are showing similar levels of enthusiasm for this election. Rural counties with mostly Republican voters are seeing higher voter numbers than in previous elections. But more democratic counties in Northern Virginia are also reporting strong turnout.
Meagher emphasized that education is one of the largest issues in this election and has been a driver for Republican voters.
4:00 p.m. What happens if a ballot scanner is broken?
According to Virginia Department of Elections Commissioner Chris Piper, ballots will still be counted even if a machine is out of order. While efforts to fix the scanner are underway the ballots are kept in a locked box. Once the scanner is reopened the election officer will run the ballot through the machine and ensure all of the votes are counted.
3:30 p.m. Hanover County’s Chickahominy Middle School provides turnout update
In Hanover County, Chickahominy Middle School has had 587 voters turn out to the polls on Election Day. Combined with early voting, around 60% of the precinct’s registered population have voted as of Tuesday afternoon at 3:17 p.m.
3:00 p.m. Counties release afternoon voting counts
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — As of around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, there had been 54,548 ballots cast in Chesterfield County. There were 12 precincts that already had 1,000 or more voters on Election Day. The count does not include early voters or absentee ballots. Around 20% of Chesterfield voters voted between 6 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Election Day.
In Henrico County, officials said that 19% of registered voters had submitted their ballots by noon on Tuesday. Most individual polling places reported that anywhere between 25% and 15% of registered voters had cast their ballots.
Around 20% of Henrico’s absentee ballots had been received before Tuesday. These ballots will be counted through Friday.
Hanover County officials did not have turnout numbers yet but called today “record breaking” for the county.
2:15 p.m. How many registered Virginia voters have voted so far?
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – With less than five hours left for people to cast their ballot on Election Day, let’s take a look at how Virginia is voting by the numbers. Chris Piper from the Department of Elections shared these stats with 8News.
There are more than 5.9 million registered voters in Virginia.
More than 1,167,659 ballots were cast as of 11 a.m. Included in that number are:
- early in-person voting
- Election day voting
- 306,000 people who voted by mail
- 88,000 mail-in ballots that the Dept. of Elections has yet to receive
That works out to 19.6% of registered voters participating so far in this election.
1:46 p.m. Q&A: Are masks required at Virginia polling locations?
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Virginia Department of Elections is encouraging those heading to the polls to wear a mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, no one will be prevented from casting their ballot because they are not wearing a mask.
1:15 p.m. Dominion Energy restores power to Spring Run Elementary School voting location
CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WRIC) — Dominion Energy has fixed the power outage at Spring Run Elementary School caused by an underground line issue.
The Chief of Elections told 8News that the outage did not disrupt the voting process. While Dominion Energy worked on the outage, backup generators kept things running.
According to Dominion, the power outage was caused by an underground cable failure. The power went out just before 9 a.m. and was back on at 12:15 p.m.
12:23 p.m. Electronic sign saying “F**K Biden” pops up in Richmond
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — 8News received numerous reports this morning about an electronic sign positioned in downtown Richmond with a profane message for President Biden.
The sign, photographed recently near 8th and Cary streets, says, “F**K Biden”.
According to VDOT, the electronic sign does not belong to them and no one has hacked or repurposed one of their signs.
Virginia State Police met an individual associated with the sign earlier today on the Interstate 95 overpass near Arthur Ashe Boulevard. The sign was then removed from that area.
11:52 a.m. Jammed ballot scanners in Henrico, power outage at polling location in Chesterfield
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Reporter Kerri O’Brien attended a media briefing at the Virginia Department of Elections and says that for the most part, Election Day is running smoothly around the commonwealth.
During the briefing, election officials shared reports of jammed ballot scanners in Henrico County. Technicians are working on the issue and poll workers are following protocols, according to officials.
Officials also mentioned a power outage at Spring Run Elementary School in Chesterfield County. During the press conference, they believed it was disrupting voting, however, generators kept the machines on at the polling location.
11:22 a.m. Out-of-date driver’s license? You may end up casting a provisional ballot
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Election officials at Ginter Presbyterian Church told 8News that two voters had issues this morning voting at the northside Richmond polling location.
According to the election official, one voter had moved and not updated the address on their driver’s license, so they voted with a provisional ballot. In the other instance, the voter was at the wrong precinct and was turned away and told where their voting precinct is located.
The election official shared a look at their voting issue “cheat sheet” that poll workers follow when voters have issues.
9:58 a.m. Busy voting location at Ironbridge Church
CHESTER, Va. (WRIC) — Ironbridge Church has had a total of 386 voters cast ballots since the polls opened at 6 a.m. It is for sure one of the busiest locations 8News has visited so far.
Deputy Chief Officer of Elections said they’re on par with what they expected.
9:20 a.m. No long lines at voting locations in Midlothian area
MIDLOTHIAN, Va. (WRIC) — Crenshaw Elementary School in Midlothian has moderate foot traffic but no long lines. Voters are able to get in and out before their workday starts.
9 a.m. Virginians continue voting
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — When will we know who won? The answer to this question depends on how close the race is once preliminary results start rolling in.
For the last week, localities have been pre-processing the absentee ballots they have received through the mail, drop boxes and early in-person voting. With at least two election officers present, the ballots are checked before they are processed through a vote counting machine.
In Virginia, mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day that arrive by noon the following Friday (Nov. 5) are eligible to be counted. In the 2020 presidential election, nearly 11,000 eligible ballots arrived in that window of time.
With polls showing Virginia’s three statewide elections neck-and-neck, the margins between the candidates could be too tight to call the race on election night.
8 a.m. Voting location in Henrico County opens late after poll worker has seizure
HENRICO, Va. (WRIC) — Charles M. Johnson Elementary School opened late this morning after a poll worker had a seizure. According to the elections office at the site, the worker’s seizure happened right before the doors opened. Paramedics and first responders arrived at the scene.
The voting location opened at 6:15 a.m. and everything is running smoothly. No one was turned away, the officer said. People waited outside until the doors opened.
7:45 a.m. Henrico poll location sees less voters due to early voting
HENRICO, Va. (WRIC) — A poll worker at George F. Baker Elementary in Henrico County told 8News they normally get 2,400 ballots per election. This year they only got 1,800 because of the number of residents who took advantage of early voting.
They said they only had around 20 people vote in the first half-hour of being open.
7:30 a.m. What to do if you’re having problems at the polls?
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Virginia Department of Elections said that if a voter feels like their voting rights have been violated or they may have witnessed an election law being broken, they can contact the department at 1-800-552-9745 or by email at info@elections.virginia.gov.
Before heading to the polls, Virginia voters should make sure they meet all the requirements that allow them to vote. If you meet all the requirements and aren’t being allowed to vote, ask an election official to contact the General Registrar’s office about your case before you leave the polling place.
If you need to file a complaint, you have 10 days from the date of the incident. You can also send us an email at news@wric.com.
7 a.m. What’s the weather like in Central Virginia on Election Day?
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — There is the risk of a passing shower on Election Day in Central Virginia. For the most part, Tuesday will feature mostly cloudy skies.
Any showers will be very light and they should not stop you from going to the polls to cast your vote. Our high temperatures will be a little bit cooler as we only top out in the upper 50s.
6:30 a.m. More than a million Virginians have cast their vote
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — According to the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project, more than 1.1 million Virginia voters cast an early ballot in this year’s contests, nearly six times the early voter turnout in the 2017 statewide elections.
Early voting has surged since the Virginia General Assembly approved changes to the process last year. Registered voters had the opportunity to vote early in Virginia this year. The early voting period was extended from a week to up to 45 days before Election Day.
6 a.m. Polls open across Virginia
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginians are ready to cast their vote in person. Polling locations opened at 6 a.m. Tuesday morning. The polls will stay open until 7 p.m. — anyone in line at that time will be allowed to cast their ballot.
With early voting locations now closed, registered voters who did not cast their ballots early must report to their assigned polling place in order to vote in person. Residents can find their polling location by visiting the Virginia Department of Election’s (VDE) Polling Place Lookup website, or by referring to their individual voter registration card.
