Virginia primary election is set for Aug. 4 after legislature changes 2026 schedule
Virginia’s 2026 primary election will be held Tuesday, Aug. 4, after the General Assembly moved the statewide contest from its previously scheduled June 16 date through House Bill 29.
The Aug. 4 primary applies statewide to offices on Virginia’s November general-election ballot. It is part of the process for selecting party nominees for statewide, congressional and other offices that will be decided in the general election.
The Virginia Department of Elections says there will be no primary election on June 16. The new date is not a proposal: House Bill 29 was signed Feb. 20, 2026, and the department lists Aug. 4 as the primary date on its election calendar.
What changed for the 2026 election calendar
The schedule change replaced a June primary with one held in August. State election officials have attributed the change to House Bill 29. The department’s release does not assign the move to a political party, candidate or other stated motive.
The rescheduled primary covers the statewide set of offices appearing on the November ballot. The Department of Elections’ upcoming-elections page also identifies offices and a proposed constitutional amendment listed by the department.
For voters, candidates and election administrators, the important effect is the revised series of dates tied to the Aug. 4 contest. The department has set separate deadlines for early voting, mailed absentee ballots, registration and one remaining independent-candidate filing opportunity.
Early voting and registration deadlines
Early in-person voting began June 19. For some offices, the start was June 18 because of the Juneteenth holiday. Aug. 1 was the final day to vote early in person.
The deadline to request a mailed absentee ballot was July 24. July 24 was also the regular voter-registration deadline for the Aug. 4 primary.
Virginia’s same-day registration period began July 25. A voter who registers during that period may cast a ballot, but the ballot is provisional rather than a regular ballot. The state’s description of same-day registration specifically distinguishes those provisional ballots from ballots cast by voters registered by the regular deadline.
With early voting over, Aug. 4 is the remaining in-person voting date identified for the primary. The Department of Elections has not provided current turnout figures or candidate-by-candidate polling information in the reviewed materials.
Absentee ballots and candidate filing
Voters who already received and returned a mailed absentee ballot still face a post-election receipt deadline. The ballot must be received by election officials no later than noon Friday, Aug. 7.
The deadline is based on when the ballot is received, not simply when it is mailed. The department’s notice identifies noon on Aug. 7 as the cutoff for mailed absentee ballots tied to the Aug. 4 primary.
The revised calendar also leaves an Aug. 4 filing opportunity for independent candidates seeking U.S. House seats. The Department of Elections says independent U.S. House candidates may file that day, while deadlines for other candidates remained earlier.
The state’s notice says the change in primary date is not contingent on a related referendum. The reviewed release does not describe the referendum’s outcome.
What happens next
Election Day is Aug. 4. The next listed deadline after voting is noon Aug. 7 for election officials to receive mailed absentee ballots. The primary’s results will determine party nominees for the offices included on Virginia’s November general-election ballot.
Sources
- Primary Election Moved to August 4, Virginia Department of Elections
- Upcoming Elections, Virginia Department of Elections