Virginia, Are You Ready to Vote?

The economy is on the ballot in Virginia this year. The candidates we elect to the Governor’s and Attorney General’s offices, the General Assembly, and even our local school boards will directly shape everything from taxes and teacher pay to transportation policy and small business rules.

Virginia, home to tens of thousands of federal workers and contractors, has already suffered with devastating job cuts and now is staring down even more agency cuts based on Trump’s executive orders, hitting our state where it hurts. And it’s not just jobs on the line — with the passage of the harmful budget bill, over 100,000 Virginians could lose SNAP benefits, meaning more parents skipping meals and more kids heading to school hungry.

Virginia has made huge strides with Medicaid expansion —over 1.9 million people rely on it, including 600,000 who gained coverage under expansion. But our safety net is being pulled out from under us: 160,000 people could lose Medicaid coverage, and cuts to Medicare threaten hospitals across the state, especially in rural areas already holding on by a thread.

This is the reality we face every night at our kitchen tables. If we don’t fight back at the ballot box, we risk watching our communities and our own families suffer the consequences.

Our public education system is at risk. Extremist Republicans are trying to pass off a series of unpopular attacks on public education as “parents’ rights” — and their agenda will undermine teachers, and make our schools less safe and welcoming for Virginia kids. They’re willing to compromise the education of our children just to score partisan points and gain political power, instead of focusing on the most important thing – setting students up for success. Virginia moms know our kids are more important than politics.

Governor Youngkin has also attacked public education, enacting policies that hurt LGBTQ+ students and make our schools less safe. Our school districts are fighting his policies and the fight won’t end just because he leaves office. They need our help! Republican candidate for Governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, supports Youngkin’s policies and will continue his extremism. We have to elect Abigail Spanberger for Governor to reverse the damage Youngkin has done and move our schools forward in the right direction.

School boards play a critical role in our kids’ education. They control the school district budget, hire the superintendent, and enact educational policy. We need to be active with our local school boards and elect school board members who support quality public education for all children.

All across Virginia there are extremists running for school board, and unfortunately, we’ve already seen what can happen if they get elected:

• More books will be pulled from classroom shelves and banned from school libraries.
• Teachers will be bullied out of teaching accurate lessons about race and history.
• The mental health crisis among students will worsen.
• Schools will lose necessary funds to keep kids safe and provide a well-rounded education.
• The potential for deadly school shootings will increase.
• Programs that set kids up for success in a global economy will end.

We cannot allow an extremist takeover of our public education system. We can prevent it by voting and getting our friends and family to vote. School board elections have a huge impact on our everyday lives and our local communities, but often, they don’t get strong voter turnout. Make sure to elect school board members that represent your values. You can learn more about some of the races below.
 

Three constitutional amendments have the chance to become ballot initiatives that we can actually vote on — but only if we defeat the extremists who want to run Virginia’s state government this November.

Reproductive Freedom Amendment
Did you know, Virginia is the last state in the south with abortion access? It’s true – and we have to do everything in our power to protect our reproductive healthcare here in the state. Virginia could finally have the chance to vote on this critical issue.

This amendment protects a woman’s right to make her own personal decisions, whether it’s about birth control, having a baby, ending a pregnancy, managing a miscarriage, or getting care after giving birth. It makes sure no one gets punished for making these choices or for helping someone get the care they need. These decisions should be between a woman and her doctor — WE decide, not politicians.

Voting Rights Restoration Amendment
Virginia is one of only two states that still prevents people from voting if they’ve previously been convicted of a felony, even after their sentence has been served. This law is a relic of the Jim Crow era and it disenfranchises close to 10% of the state’s voting-age Black residents. It’s time to end this voter suppression.

The Right to Vote — Restoration of Rights amendment would make sure that once someone has finished serving time for a felony, they automatically get their right to vote back—no extra steps. And it ensures that people under guardianship don’t lose their right to vote. Everyone deserves a voice in our democracy and this helps make that real.

Marriage Equality Amendment
Our state constitution does not reflect the fact that the majority of Virginians agree — same-sex couples should have the same rights as heterosexual married couples.

This amendment would remove outdated language from Virginia’s Constitution that bans same-sex marriage and replace it with a simple truth: marriage is a right for any two people who love each other. No matter what happens at the national level, this ensures Virginia respects and protects marriage equality.

Gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children and teens, and Virginia ranks among the highest in the nation for gun-related domestic violence deaths. These aren’t just statistics—this crisis is touching families from every corner of the Commonwealth, from daily school lockdowns to the trauma of community shootings and the heartbreak of domestic violence fueled by easy access to guns.

Black Virginians, and particularly young Black men, bear a devastating and disproportionate share of this violence, facing gun homicide rates nearly three times higher than their white neighbors. Gun violence doesn’t just leave physical scars—it takes a massive toll on our mental health.

It also hits our wallets: gun violence costs Virginians over $14 billion each year—about $1,650 per person—with taxpayers footing hundreds of millions for healthcare, law enforcement, and lost productivity. Cities like Portsmouth now endure the highest firearm death rates in the state, and urban areas—Hampton Roads, Richmond, Norfolk—are overwhelmed by stolen guns.

We need common-sense leaders in the General Assembly, in the Governor and Lt. Governor’s office, and the Attorney General’s office in order to turn this around and protect our community.