Republicans are looking to Virginia on Friday for early notions about the future of early and absentee voting for the party as early voting begins in the state for every seat in both chambers of the state's legislature.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) has encouraged his constituents to vote early ahead of November's election despite allegations of widespread voter fraud that have largely been peddled by former President Donald Trump in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. Trump said the voter fraud largely occurred in early and absentee voting.
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“Democrats put these rules in place while in control of Virginia’s government and have used these rules to their advantage by vastly outpacing Republicans in early and absentee voting,” Youngkin wrote in an op-ed last month. “We can either continue complaining, or we can recognize reality, beat the left at their own game and win elections.”
The state, which has trended more red in recent elections, could see Republicans control every portion of the state government if the party flips the state Senate from its small Democratic majority. At the moment, conservatives control the executive branch and the lower chamber.
Youngkin has pushed early voting since he secured an upset victory in 2021. The governor even rolled out an early voting initiative dubbed "Secure Your Vote Virginia" that provides Republicans with step-by-step instructions on how to vote by mail or vote early in person. The Republican National Committee also launched an early voting campaign in June called "Bank your Vote" to boost early turnout in the 2023 and 2024 elections.
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The most vulnerable region for Republicans is in Henrico County, a suburb of Richmond, Virginia. The county includes Senate District 16, where incumbent Republican Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, a doctor, faces Democratic Del. Schuyler VanValkenburg, and state House District 57, where nurse practitioner Susanna Gibson, a Democrat, faces retired Republican homebuilder David Owen as they vie for an open seat.
The election could determine abortion access in the state, which has not imposed restrictions on the procedure in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade. However, Youngkin has recommended a 15-week ban on abortions, with exceptions for incest, rape, and danger to the life of the mother. Abortion has been a winning campaign plank for Democrats across the country.