PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – As it is a midterm election year, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be contested.

There are also state and local races in the November 8 General Election.

As of August 18, 2022, Democrats held a 220-211 advantage in the U.S. House with four vacant seats.

This is the first General Election using the new legislative districts updated with the 2020 U.S. Census data.

10 is on your side with important information you need to know ahead of Election Day.

VIRGINIA GENERAL ELECTION

See who is on your ballot by viewing the candidate lists on the Virginia Department of Elections website.

Look up your polling place | Check your registration status

Important Dates:

If you need to register to vote, or apply for a ballot online, you can do both using the online Citizen Portal. Reminder: If you’re voting absentee, don’t forget to include a witness signature. A witness signature is required on all mail-in ballots cast in the November 8, 2022 General and Special elections. If a ballot is missing a witness signature, the voter will be contacted within three days of receipt by the local voter registration office and asked to correct it.

On election day, polls are open in Virginia from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m.

If for some reason your name doesn’t appear on the list of registered voters at your polling place on Election Day, you’ll be given a provisional ballot. Provisional ballots are not processed by a vote counting machine at the time of voting, but will count if election officials determine you are qualified and eligible to vote. For more information, click here.

And speaking of provisional ballots, starting this year Virginia is doing same-day voter registration through Election Day. If you missed the October 17 deadline for a non-provisional ballot, you’ll receive a provisional ballot. Learn more about the new process here.

The Department of Elections is looking for poll workers, officially known as an Officer of Election. Apply online.

VIRGINIA

National Races

Click here to view the complete candidate list.

The following Congressional districts represent parts of Hampton Roads.

VA District 1 (James City County, York County, Gloucester County, Williamsburg, Poquoson, Matthews County)

Rep. Rob Wittman (R), Herb Jones (D) and David Foster (I)  are vying for Virginia’s 1st Congressional District seat. Wittman, a member of Congress since 2007, is running to represent a new 1st District that now includes parts of Henrico and Chesterfield counties.

VA District 2 (Virginia Beach City, Chesapeake (partial), Suffolk City, Isle of Wight County, Accomack County, Northampton County, Southampton County (partial) and Franklin)

Rep. Elaine Luria (D) is running against State Sen. Jen Kiggans (R).

The political ads have been flooding the airwaves, as this hotly contested congressional battle pits two Navy veterans against each other. This race has brought in more than $12.8 million, and that’s just through October 19. 

VA District 3 (Norfolk, Newport News, Hampton, Portsmouth, Chesapeake (partial))

Rep. Bobby Scott (D) is taking on challenger Terry Namkung (R)

Congressman Bobby Scott has represented Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1993. Terry Namkung told WAVY it’s time for change. He says his top priorities at the federal level are national security, the economy, and education., and at the local level, it’s reducing crime, creating jobs, and providing quality education.

VA District 4 (Surry County, Emporia, Southampton County (partial))

Rep. Don McEachin (D) is challenging Leon Benjamin (R)

For the second straight election, Democratic U.S. Rep. Donald McEachin is being challenged by Republican Leon Benjamin. But this time they are running to represent Virginia’s new 4th Congressional District.

Local Races

There are also contested local races on the November 8 ballot, meaning there is more than one candidate. View the complete list of local office candidates, in both contested and uncontested races, at this link.

NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ELECTION

There is also a statewide general election in North Carolina on November 8. Polls are open on Election Day from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.

Races on the ballot include: 

  • One U.S. Senate seat. The candidates in this race are Cheri Beasley (D), Shannon Bray (L), Ted Budd (R) and Matthew Hoh (G)
  • 14 U.S. House seats 
  • Several state offices (General Assembly, Supreme Court, and Court of Appeals) 
  • Local judges and prosecutors 
  • County offices like sheriff and county commissioners 

The following Districts represent counties in the WAVY viewing area:

  • NC District 1 (Pasquotank County, Perquimans, Chowan, Gates, Hertford)
    • State Sen. Don Davis (D) and Sandy Smith (R) are vying for the seat.
  • NC District 3 (Camden, Currituck, Dare) 
    • Rep. Greg Murphy (R) and Barbar Gaskins (D) are vying for the seat.

If you are a registered North Carolina voter, you can view a sample ballot by entering your information into the Voter Search and navigate to “Your Sample Ballot.”

Dates and Deadlines 

The civilian voter registration deadline for North Carolina is 25 days before Election Day. For this election, that is Oct. 14, 2022. Find out how to register or how to update your registration.