# Elections in Virginia

Elections in Virginia :
Federal government
U.S. President
1788–89
1792
1796
1800
1804
1808
1812
1816
1820
1824
1828
1832
1836
1840
1844
1848
1852
1856
1860
1872
1876
1880
1884
1888
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
Dem
2004
2008
Dem
GOP
2012
2016
Dem
2020
Dem
2024
Dem
GOP
U.S. Senate
1788
1790 (sp)
1791
1792 (sp)
1793
1794 (sp)
1796
1798
1799 (sp)
1803
1803 (sp)
1804
1804 (sp)
1808
1809
1811
1814
1814 (sp)
1815 (sp)
1816
1816 (sp)
1819 (sp)
1821
1822 (sp)
1823
1824
1824 (sp)
1827
1829
1832 (sp)
1833
1834 (sp)
1835
1836 (sp)
1837
1837 (sp)
1839
1840
1841 (sp)
1845
1845 (sp)
1846
1847 (sp)
1850
1852
1856
1858
1861 (sp)
1863
1865
1865 (sp)
1870
1871
1875
1877
1881
1883
1887
1889
1893
1893 (sp)
1894
1899
1899
1904
1906
1910
1911
1912
1912 (sp)
1916
1918
1920 (sp)
1922
1924
1928
1930
1933 (sp)
1934
1936
1940
1942
1946
1946 (sp)
1948
1952
1954
1958
1960
1964
1966
1966 (sp)
1970
1972
1976
1978
1982
1984
1988
1990
1994
1996
2000
2002
2006
2008
2012
2014
2018
2020
2024
2026
U.S. House
1789
1790
9th sp
1793
1795
1797
1798 (9th sp)
1799
1800 (13th sp)
1801
1803
1804
5th sp
13th sp
1805
13th sp
1807
17th sp
1809
21st sp
1st sp
1811
1813
1814 (11th sp)
1815
15th sp
1816
18th sp
23rd sp
1817
1818 (19th sp)
1819
1820
1st sp
10th sp
17th sp
20th sp
1821
1822 (2nd sp)
1823
1824 (13th sp)
1825
1826 (5th sp)
1827
1829
10th sp
1831
1833
1835
1837
1839
1841
1843
1845
1847
1849
1851
1853
1855
1857
1859
4th sp
1861
11th sp
1862 (1st sp)
1869
1870
1872
1874
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
7th sp
1886
1888
1890
1892
1894
7th sp
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1st sp
1920
4th sp
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
2nd sp
1946
5th sp
6th sp
7th sp
1948
4th sp
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
6th sp
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
5th sp
1990
1991 (7th sp)
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2001 (4th sp)
2002
8th
2004
2006
2007 (1st sp)
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
10th
2020
2022
2023 (4th sp)
2024 :
State government
Governor
1776
1851
1855
1859
1863
C
U
1869
1873
1877
1881
1885
1889
1893
1897
1901
1905
1909
1913
1917
1921
1925
1929
1933
1937
1941
1945
1949
1953
1957
1961
1965
1969
1973
1977
1981
1985
1989
1993
1997
2001
2005
2009
2013
2017
2021
2025
Lieutenant Governor
1973
1977
1981
1985
1989
1993
1997
2001
2005
2009
2013
2017
2021
2025
Attorney General
1993
1997
2001
2005
2009
2013
2017
2021
2025
Senate
1967
1971
1975
1979
1983
1987
1991
1995
1999
2003
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023
House of Delegates
1975
1977
1979
1981
1982
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023
State elections
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2023 :
Ballot measures
Statewide
1970
1972
1974
1976
1977
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1987
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
Fairfax County
2016 :
Alexandria
Mayor
2012
2015
2018
2021
2024
(List) :
Henrico County
Commonwealth's Attorney
2011
2015
2019 :
Norfolk
Mayor
2006
2010
2014
2016
2020
2024 :
Richmond
Mayor
2016
2020
2024 :
Virginia Beach
Mayor
2008
2012
2016
2018
2020
City Council
2020 :
vte :
Elections in Virginia are authorized under Article I of the Virginia State Constitution, sections 5–6, and Article V which establishes elections for the state-level officers, cabinet, and legislature. Article VII section 4 establishes the election of county-level officers. Elections are regulated under state statute 24.2-102. The Virginia State Board of Elections oversees the execution of elections under state law. In a 2020 study, Virginia was ranked as the 12th easiest state for citizens to vote in.
Voters do not register by party in Virginia, and Virginia conducts open primaries where any voter may cast a ballot for either party. Traditionally, political parties could choose which nomination method to use for each election, with the option to either participate in the state-run primary or conduct a party-run convention. A law which passed in 2021 and took effect in 2024, requires a party's method of nomination to make certain accommodations for absentee voters, had the practical effect of outlawing party-run conventions.
In general elections, the party affiliations of local candidates do not appear on the ballot. Candidates for federal, statewide, and General Assembly offices appear on the ballot with party designations. Besides the Democratic Party of Virginia and the Republican Party of Virginia, other parties include the Libertarian Party of Virginia, Constitution Party of Virginia, Green Party of Virginia, and the Independent Greens of Virginia. Third parties and independents have benefited from electoral reform in Virginia, especially streamlined ballot access, and have made their presence known by appearing on statewide ballots and even winning seats to soil and water conservation district boards.
In 2009, Governor Tim Kaine proposed to authorize no-excuse early voting in Virginia elections, noting that 26 other states allow it. On January 26, 2009, the bill passed the Democratic-controlled Senate. However, the Republican-controlled House of delegates killed the proposal.
Governor Kaine worked with a coalition of civic groups to work to restore the voting rights of felons who were convicted of non-violent crimes in the past. Kaine's staff reviewed each individual application from felons who had been out of prison for at least five years without an additional conviction. An estimated 366,000 Virginia citizens are disenfranchised due to a prior felony conviction.

## Administration

The Commonwealth of Virginia holds its state general elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November (better known as Election Day) in every odd-numbered year. As a result of this, gubernatorial elections in Virginia systematically follow the quadrennial United States presidential election by one year.
During general elections in Virginia, elections are held for the statewide executive positions of governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. Elections are also held for legislative positions in the Senate of Virginia and the Virginia House of Delegates and the county-level offices of Commonwealth's attorney, sheriff, clerk of court, Treasurer, and Commissioner of the Revenue. Officials elected to the House of Delegates serve a term of two years, and clerks of court are elected to eight-year terms. All other officials are elected for a term of four years.
Virginia's governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general are elected at large every four years. State senators and members of the House of Delegates are elected in single-member districts. County-level officials are elected by county.
Virginia has 100 seats in its House of Delegates, and 40 seats in its Senate.

### Balance of power

Virginia Government balance of power
| Office | Party in Power | Assumed Control | Next Election |
| Governor | Republican (Youngkin) | January 15, 2022 (Youngkin) | November 4, 2025 |
| Lieutenant governor | Republican (Sears) | January 15, 2022 (Sears) | November 4, 2025 |
| Attorney general | Republican (Miyares) | January 15, 2022 (Miyares) | November 4, 2025 |
| Virginia Senate | Democrat (21/40 seats) | January 2020 (21/40 seats) | November 2, 2027 |
| Virginia House of Delegates | Democratic (51/100 seats) | January 2024 (51/100 seats) | November 4, 2025 |

## History

Gubernatorial election results :
| Year | Democratic | Republican |
| 1953 | 54.8% 226,998 | 44.3% 183,328 |
| 1957 | 63.2% 326,921 | 36.4% 188,628 |
| 1961 | 63.9% 251,861 | 36.2% 142,567 |
| 1965 | 47.9% 296,526 | 37.7% 212,207 |
| 1969 | 45.4% 415,695 | 52.5% 480,869 |
| 1973 | 49.3% 510,103 | 50.7% 525,075 |
| 1977 | 43.3% 541,319 | 55.9% 699,302 |
| 1981 | 53.6% 760,357 | 46.4% 659,398 |
| 1985 | 55.2% 741,438 | 44.8% 601,652 |
| 1989 | 50.1% 897,139 | 49.8% 890,285 |
| 1993 | 40.9% 733,527 | 58.3% 1,045,319 |
| 1997 | 42.6% 738,971 | 55.8% 969,062 |
| 2001 | 52.2% 984,177 | 47.0% 887,234 |
| 2005 | 51.7% 1,025,942 | 46.0% 912,327 |
| 2009 | 41.3% 818,950 | 58.6% 1,163,651 |
| 2013 | 47.8% 1,069,789 | 45.2% 1,013,354 |
| 2017 | 53.9% 1,409,175 | 45.0% 1,175,731 |
| 2021 | 48.6% 1,600,116 | 50.6% 1,663,596 |
United States presidential election results for Virginia :
| Year | Republican / Whig | Republican / Whig | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 2,075,085 | 46.05% | 2,335,395 | 51.83% | 95,461 | 2.12% |
| 2020 | 1,962,430 | 44.00% | 2,413,568 | 54.11% | 84,526 | 1.89% |
| 2016 | 1,769,443 | 44.43% | 1,981,473 | 49.75% | 231,836 | 5.82% |
| 2012 | 1,822,522 | 47.28% | 1,971,820 | 51.16% | 60,147 | 1.56% |
| 2008 | 1,725,005 | 46.33% | 1,959,532 | 52.63% | 38,723 | 1.04% |
| 2004 | 1,716,959 | 53.68% | 1,454,742 | 45.48% | 26,666 | 0.83% |
| 2000 | 1,437,490 | 52.47% | 1,217,290 | 44.44% | 84,667 | 3.09% |
| 1996 | 1,138,350 | 47.10% | 1,091,060 | 45.15% | 187,232 | 7.75% |
| 1992 | 1,150,517 | 44.97% | 1,038,650 | 40.59% | 369,498 | 14.44% |
| 1988 | 1,309,162 | 59.74% | 859,799 | 39.23% | 22,648 | 1.03% |
| 1984 | 1,337,078 | 62.29% | 796,250 | 37.09% | 13,307 | 0.62% |
| 1980 | 989,609 | 53.03% | 752,174 | 40.31% | 124,249 | 6.66% |
| 1976 | 836,554 | 49.29% | 813,896 | 47.96% | 46,644 | 2.75% |
| 1972 | 988,493 | 67.84% | 438,887 | 30.12% | 29,639 | 2.03% |
| 1968 | 590,319 | 43.36% | 442,387 | 32.49% | 328,785 | 24.15% |
| 1964 | 481,334 | 46.18% | 558,038 | 53.54% | 2,895 | 0.28% |
| 1960 | 404,521 | 52.44% | 362,327 | 46.97% | 4,601 | 0.60% |
| 1956 | 386,459 | 55.37% | 267,760 | 38.36% | 43,759 | 6.27% |
| 1952 | 349,037 | 56.32% | 268,677 | 43.36% | 1,975 | 0.32% |
| 1948 | 172,070 | 41.04% | 200,786 | 47.89% | 46,400 | 11.07% |
| 1944 | 145,243 | 37.39% | 242,276 | 62.36% | 966 | 0.25% |
| 1940 | 109,363 | 31.55% | 235,961 | 68.08% | 1,283 | 0.37% |
| 1936 | 98,336 | 29.39% | 234,980 | 70.23% | 1,274 | 0.38% |
| 1932 | 89,637 | 30.09% | 203,979 | 68.46% | 4,326 | 1.45% |
| 1928 | 164,609 | 53.91% | 140,146 | 45.90% | 603 | 0.20% |
| 1924 | 73,312 | 32.79% | 139,716 | 62.48% | 10,574 | 4.73% |
| 1920 | 87,456 | 37.86% | 141,670 | 61.33% | 1,873 | 0.81% |
| 1916 | 49,356 | 32.05% | 102,824 | 66.77% | 1,812 | 1.18% |
| 1912 | 23,288 | 17.00% | 90,332 | 65.95% | 23,356 | 17.05% |
| 1908 | 52,572 | 38.36% | 82,946 | 60.52% | 1,547 | 1.13% |
| 1904 | 48,180 | 36.95% | 80,649 | 61.84% | 1,581 | 1.21% |
| 1900 | 115,769 | 43.82% | 146,079 | 55.29% | 2,360 | 0.89% |
| 1896 | 135,379 | 45.94% | 154,708 | 52.50% | 4,587 | 1.56% |
| 1892 | 113,098 | 38.70% | 164,136 | 56.17% | 15,004 | 5.13% |
| 1888 | 150,399 | 49.46% | 152,004 | 49.99% | 1,684 | 0.55% |
| 1884 | 139,356 | 48.90% | 145,491 | 51.05% | 130 | 0.05% |
| 1880 | 83,533 | 39.47% | 128,083 | 60.53% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1876 | 95,518 | 40.42% | 140,770 | 59.58% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1872 | 93,463 | 50.47% | 91,647 | 49.49% | 85 | 0.05% |
| 1860 | 1,887 | 1.13% | 16,198 | 9.71% | 148,806 | 89.16% |
| 1856 | 0 | 0.00% | 90,083 | 59.96% | 60,150 | 40.04% |
| 1852 | 58,732 | 44.29% | 73,872 | 55.71% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1848 | 45,265 | 49.20% | 46,739 | 50.80% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1844 | 44,860 | 46.95% | 50,679 | 53.05% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1840 | 42,637 | 49.35% | 43,757 | 50.65% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1836 | 23,384 | 43.35% | 30,556 | 56.64% | 5 | 0.01% |
After the American Civil War (1861–1865), Virginia was in political turmoil. 48 former counties now in West Virginia were gone, soon to be joined by two more. The Commonwealth of Virginia unsuccessfully appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. In the remaining area, many citizens, mostly males of African American heritage, were newly enfranchised to vote. Many others, primarily former Confederates, were initially disenfranchised.
Elections resumed after 5 years as a U.S. Military District, and control was chaotic. In the late 1870s, a coalition of Conservative Democrats, Republicans, and African Americans was assembled and the Readjuster Party took power for about 10 years. After U.S. Senator William Mahone and the Readjuster Party lost control of Virginia politics around 1883, white Democrats regained the state legislature. They proceeded to use statute and a new constitution in 1901, with provisions such as a poll tax, residency requirements, and literacy test to disfranchise most African Americans and many poor whites. Their disfranchisement lasted until after the passage of civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s.
White Democrats created a one-party state, with a nearly unchallenged majority of state and most federal offices through the middle of the 20th century. The Byrd Organization headed by Harry F. Byrd Sr. largely controlled statewide politics. Through their leadership and activism in the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans gained national support for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which provided Federal oversight and enforcement to maintain all citizens' ability to vote. Under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, decisions affecting elections are subject to preclearance by the U.S. Department of Justice before they can take effect.
President Lyndon Johnson's and national Democrats' support for civil rights turned many conservative whites in Virginia against the Democrats. However, many Virginians had been willing to support Republicans, at least at the national level, since the 1930s due to Franklin Roosevelt's strong support for organized labor. While the Republican Party in most of the South tended to attract right-wing conservatives like Jesse Helms and Strom Thurmond, Virginia's GOP has tended to be more moderate by regional standards. The state elected moderate Republican A. Linwood Holton Jr. in 1970; Holton became the first Republican governor in the 20th century, effectively ending the influence of the Byrd Organization. The current Virginia State Constitution was created in 1971 to replace the discriminatory one created in 1901. Holton was succeeded by two other Republican governors: the more conservative Mills Godwin (a former Democrat) and John N. Dalton. Five-term U.S. Senator John Warner and Congressman Tom Davis also exemplified the more "moderate-conservative" tendencies of Virginia Republicans. From 1982 through 1994, Democrats served as governor, with Chuck Robb elected in 1981 and Gerald L. Baliles in 1985. In 1989, Virginia elected Democrat Douglas Wilder governor, who served from 1990 to 1994, as Virginia's first African-American governor. In 2001, Virginia elected Democrats Mark Warner as governor and Tim Kaine as lieutenant governor, and Kaine was elected to succeed Warner as governor in 2005. In 2009, however, a Republican again returned to the governor's mansion as Bob McDonnell defeated Democrat Creigh Deeds, garnering 58.61% of the popular vote to Deeds' 41.25%. Republicans also managed to sweep all statewide races in 2009, the first time they accomplished this feat since 1997.
Virginia voted for Republicans in nearly every presidential election from 1952 to 2004 except for the Democratic landslide in President Johnson's election in 1964. This former streak started when Richard Nixon began the Southern Strategy, and is the longest among the former Confederate States. Virginia was the only such state to vote for Gerald Ford over Jimmy Carter in 1976. Since 2008, Virginia has voted for Democrats in presidential elections, including Barack Obama; in 2016, Virginia was the only former Confederate state to vote for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump.

### Recent events

In 1989, Doug Wilder was the first African-American elected governor of a U.S. state. Despite Virginia's support of Republican presidential candidates and reputation as a conservative state, voters elected Democratic candidates for three consecutive gubernatorial races in the 1980s. In addition, Democratic representatives maintained large majorities in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly. Many Democratic state representatives from rural and suburban districts had conservative stances on various issues.
In the 1990s Virginia experienced some political realignment, electing conservative Republicans George Allen and Jim Gilmore to the governorship from 1994 until 2002. Jim Gilmore's "no car tax" pledge was emblazoned on bumper stickers and yard signs across the state. Republicans captured both houses of the General Assembly and built majorities. Republican representatives replaced Conservative and moderate Democrats from rural and suburban areas. Within the Republican party, more conservative officeholders supplanted the remnants of the less conservative "mountain-valley" faction of Holton, so named because many members were from the Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Virginia.
After eight years of Republican governorships, in 2001, Mark Warner, a progressive businessman, won the governorship and confronted budget difficulties related to the recession by cutting money from all state departments. Virginia's executive branch is limited by the fact that governors are barred from serving consecutive terms, a constitutional provision that distinguishes Virginia from any other state. After decades of Democratic rule in the Virginia General Assembly, Republicans took control around the turn of the 21st century and promptly redistricted to protect their incumbents. In 2005 Tim Kaine, Warner's lieutenant governor, won the governor's office over Jerry Kilgore and "independent Republican" state senator Russ Potts.
In 2006, Jim Webb narrowly defeated George Allen in the wake of the Macaca slur incident. The electorate's reaction to Allen's gaffe demonstrated the changing sensibilities of the region's citizens; prior to that, Allen had a double-digit lead in the polls. In 2007, Virginia driver fees legislation created a political uproar when residents realized that they faced $3,000 fines for certain moving violations. An online petition quickly gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures, spurring legislators up for re-election that November to reconsider their positions. This was the first time that the Internet played such a dramatic role in influencing Virginia politics. In 2007, the Democrats regained control of the State Senate, and narrowed the Republican majority in the House of delegates to 7 or 8 votes.
Virginia voted for Democrat Barack Obama in 2008, after backing Republican candidates for the previous ten presidential elections. Virginia may be considered a "swing state" for future presidential elections. Its margin for Obama of 6.3% made it a close indicator of the national vote (a 7.2% Obama margin).
In the November 2009 general election Republican Bob McDonnell won the governorship by an 18% margin, while Republican lieutenant governor and Attorney General candidates Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli also won their respective races. They led statewide gains by the Republican party winning five additional seats in the House of Delegates. In the November 2010 federal elections, Republicans picked up three U.S. House seats previously held by Democrats, and proceeded to hold eight of Virginia's eleven seats, compared to three for Democrats. In the November 2018 federal elections, Democrats picked up three U.S. House seats previously held by Republicans, and proceeded to hold seven of Virginia's eleven seats, compared to four for Republicans. From 1977 until 2013, Virginia had elected a governor of the opposite political party compared to the President of the United States of the time.
In 2017, Virginia returned to electing a governor of the opposite political party compared to the current President by electing Ralph Northam. This happened again when Glenn Youngkin was elected in 2021.

## List of elections and turnout

The following table lists all state and federal regular elections from 1976, along with the voter turnout.
| Year | Registered | Percentage change from previous year | Total voting | Turnout (% voting of total registered) | Voting absentee (included in total voting) | Elections |
| 2021 | | | | | | State: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, House |
| 2020 | 5,975,696 | 6.18% | 4,486,821 | 75.08% | 2,687,304 | Federal: President, Senator (II), House |
| 2019 | 5,628,035 | -1.0% | 2,383,646 | 42.4% | 144,360 | State: Senate, House |
| 2018 | 5,666,962 | 3.31% | 3,374,382 | 59.5% | 287,763 | Federal: Senator (I), House |
| 2017 | 5,489,530 | -0.73% | 2,612,309 | 47.6% | 182,256 | State: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, House |
| 2016 | 5,529,742 | 6.41% | 3,984,631 | 72.05% | 496,452 | Federal: President, House |
| 2015 | 5,196,436 | -1.60% | 1,509,864 | 29.1% | 62,605 | State: Senate, House |
| 2014 | 5,281,011 | 0.78% | 2,194,346 | 41.6% | 123,221 | Federal: Senator (II), House |
| 2013 | 5,240,286 | -3.5% | 2,253,418 | 43.0% | 121,359 | State: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, House |
| 2012 | 5,428,833 | 6.1% | 3,858,043 | 71.06% | 447,907 | Federal: President, Senator (I), House |
| 2011 | 5,116,929 | 1.68% | 1,463,761 | 28.61% | 59,519 | State: Senate, House |
| 2010 | 5,032,144 | 1.54% | 2,214,503 | 44.01% | 106,888 | Federal: House |
| 2009 | 4,955,750 | -1.57% | 2,000,812 | 40.4% | 88,182 | State: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, House |
| 2008 | 5,034,660 | 10.7% | 3,723,260 | 74.0% | 506,672 | Federal: President, Senator (II), House |
| 2007 | 4,549,864 | - 0.1% | 1,374,526 | 30.2% | 30,619 | State: Senate, House |
| 2006 | 4,554,683 | 2.3% | 2,398,589 | 52.7% | 116,629 | Federal: Senator (I), House |
| 2005 | 4,452,225 | - 1.5% | 2,000,052 | 44.92% | 75,982 | State: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, House |
| 2004 | 4,517,980 | 7.1% | 3,198,367 | 70.79% | 222,059 | Federal: President, House |
| 2003 | 4,217,227 | - 0.1% | 1,296,955 | 30.8% | 35,716 | State: Senate, House |
| 2002 | 4,219,957 | 2.7% | 1,331,915 | 31.56% | 44,493 | Federal: Senator (II), House |
| 2001 | 4,109,127 | 0.9% | 1,905,511 | 46.4% | 52,344 | State: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, House |
| 2000 | 4,073,644 | 7.0% | 2,739,447 | 67.2% | 150,414 | Federal: President, Senator (I), House |
| 1999 | 3,808,754 | 2.3% | 1,373,527 | 36.1% | 10,686 | State: Senate, House |
| 1998 | 3,724,683 | 4.5% | 1,229,139 | 33.0% | 31,494 | Federal: House |
| 1997 | 3,565,697 | 7.3% | 1,764,476 | 49.5% | 47,571 | State: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, House |
| 1996 * | 3,322,740 | 9.4% | 2,416,642 | 72.7% | 116,606 | Federal: President, Senator (II), House |
| 1995 | 3,038,394 | 1.3% | 1,585,783 | 52.2% | 45,785 | State: Senate, House |
| 1994 | 3,000,560 | 0.9% | 2,078,106 | 69.3% | 81,636 | Federal: Senator (I), House |
| 1993 | 2,975,121 | -2.6% * | 1,817,777 | 61.1% | 53,904 | State: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, House |
| 1992 | 3,055,486 | 9.4% | 2,558,665 | 83.7% | 141,123 | Federal: President, House |
| 1991 | 2,791,747 | 2.1% | 1,371,940 | 49.1% | unreported | State: Senate, House |
| 1990 | 2,735,339 | -0.1% | 1,252,971 | 45.8% | 25,785 | Federal: Senator (II), House |
| 1989 | 2,737,340 | -4.9% * | 1,821,242 | 66.5% | 54,177 | State: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, House |
| 1988 | 2,877,144 | 8.3% | 2,231,876 | 77.6% | 108,237 | Federal: President, Senator (I), House |
| 1987 | 2,657,412 | 1.8% | 1,571,110 | 59.1% | 38,505 | State: Senate, House |
| 1986 | 2,609,698 | 0.5% | 1,115,179 | 42.7% | 22,589 | Federal: House |
| 1985 | 2,597,904 | -2.9% * | 1,377,966 | 53.0% | 32,943 | State: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, House |
| 1984 | 2,675,641 | 14.8% | 2,180,515 | 81.5% | 113,686 | Federal: President, Senator (II), House |
| 1983 | 2,330,595 | 4.3% | 1,178,707 | 50.6% | unreported | State: Senate, House |
| 1982 | 2,234,011 | 0.9% | 1,454,628 | 65.1% | 32,340 | Federal: Senator (I), House State: House |
| 1981 | 2,214,926 | -4.1% * | 1,437,382 | 64.90% | 30,584 | State: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, House |
| 1980 | 2,309,181 | 12.6% | 1,881,648 | 81.49% | 84,811 | Federal: President, House |
| 1979 | 2,050,499 | 1.2% | 1,059,158 | 51.65% | unreported | State: Senate, House |
| 1978 | 2,026,515 | 0.2% | 1,251,471 | 61.75% | 26,989 | Federal: Senator (II), House |
| 1977 | 2,022,619 | -4.8% * | 1,267,208 | 62.7% | 29,970 | State: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, House |
| 1976 | 2,123,849 | | 1,716,182 | 80.8% | unreported | Federal: President, Senator (I), House |
* The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 ("Motor Voter Act") was implemented in Virginia beginning in March 1996. This Act allowed voter registration forms to be submitted through Department of Motor Vehicles offices and other designated agencies, or to be submitted by mail. Also, prior to this, any Virginia voter who had not voted in four years was removed ("purged") from the electoral rolls.

## Regional differences

Northern Virginia has favored Democratic candidates in recent elections. In the 2004 United States presidential election, John Kerry won Fairfax County, long a Republican stronghold, by 2.4% and generally fared better in the rest of Northern Virginia than Al Gore did in 2000. Despite this increase, however, he still lost every other county except Arlington County in Northern Virginia. In contrast to the changing voting trend in Northern Virginia, the majority of the rest of Virginia has been supportive of the Republican Party. Some portions of the state like college towns and the southeastern counties in the Black Belt Region have been more likely to vote Democratic.
In 2005 and 2006, Democrats Tim Kaine (running for governor) and Jim Webb (in a race for Senator) won nearly all jurisdictions within the Northern Virginia region. Alexandria resident Mark Warner had not won so many jurisdictions when winning the governorship in 2001. By contrast, Warner performed comparatively strongly in rural areas, particularly Southwest Virginia. His campaign stressed respect for rural cultural values (such as gun rights) and strategies for economic development.
In the state's largest city, Virginia Beach (pop. 450,000), most elected officials are Republicans. However, most elected officials in the state's most populous county, Fairfax County (pop. 1,250,000), are Democrats. The Republican Party's strongholds are in the counties of Southwest Virginia, exurban Northern Virginia counties like Stafford, and Richmond suburbs like Hanover County. Democrats are dominant in the inner suburbs of Northern Virginia, the city of Charlottesville and its suburbs in Albemarle County, and industrial Hampton Roads cities of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Newport News, and Hampton, and also the city of Richmond. The three most significant "swing districts" are Loudoun and Prince William counties in Northern Virginia and Henrico County in the Richmond suburbs. All three of these "swing" counties voted for President George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, and Hillary Clinton in 2016. Democrats have won formerly Republican-held seats in the General Assembly in Loudoun and Prince William counties in the 2017 and 2019 elections.