Editor’s Note: Thank you to Senator Deeds for contributing this article. The Senator’s statement does not reflect the views of the Virginia Law Weekly or any of its editors.
The Commonwealth is one of just a few states that has an election every year. The election on Tuesday, November 7, will decide control of the state legislature and determine whether Governor Glenn Youngkin will have the majorities he wants to enact the same regressive legislation we’ve seen rammed through in other states, like Florida.
Even though Youngkin narrowly won election in 2021 and won a GOP-majority in the state house, Democrats still retained a majority in the Virginia State Senate. The Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus has served as a brick wall against radical GOP legislative priorities. But, with the entire chamber up for election this year in newly drawn districts, we have no guarantee of keeping that majority.
Everything we care about is on the line in this election—abortion access, gun violence prevention, LGBTQ+ rights, environmental protections, criminal justice reform, affordable housing, and more.
Republicans promise that they will pass an abortion ban. Youngkin has stated that he will sign into law any abortion ban that reaches his desk. He and the state GOP are running on a fifteen-week ban.
Republicans promise to crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights, including outing queer and trans youth to their parents and banning books showing loving, gay relationships. Virginia is supposed to be for lovers. I cannot believe that we still must fight in 2023 to say these simple truths: Love is love, and people are who they are.
Republicans intend to block marijuana legalization in the Commonwealth and other important criminal justice reforms passed under the previous Democratic administration. They want to roll back important regulatory changes that keep coal ash and hazardous chemicals out of our water supply.
They will stick their heads in the sand instead of confronting the urgent threat that is climate change. Youngkin has already pulled Virginia out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and he will do even more if empowered by a Republican legislature. And they’ll continue to ignore the need for common sense gun violence prevention measures, including restricting weapons on college campuses, requiring safe storage of firearms, and banning assault weapons.
All the progress we've worked so hard to achieve could be gone in just one election cycle. And, if Democrats hold the Senate and retake the House of Delegates, we can send bills to the Governor’s desk and force him to take a position. We can also get to work on enshrining abortion rights into the Constitution, repealing the same-sex marriage ban, and providing for the automatic restoration of voting rights for felons.
We're in year four of Virginia's four-year election cycle. In the first three years the President, the Governor, or Congressional seats are at the top of the ticket and drive turnout. In this fourth year, the General Assembly races are at the top of the ticket. In a low turnout environment, every vote counts, and even races in safer districts could flip because voters don’t come to the polls.
The recent headlines coming out of the Youngkin administration, where state officials have purged 3,400 lawful voters from the rolls, make one thing clear: Republicans only want certain people to vote this election. I urge you to make your voice heard no matter how much they might try to restrict it.
In 2021, just 27 percent of registered voters age eighteen to twenty-nine cast a ballot in the election, and, this year, that number could be even lower. With lower than 43 percent turnout expected in our area, a high youth vote could make all the difference. This is why it's critical that you exercise your right to vote and send a message that Virginia rejects MAGA extremism this November 7.
Because of voting rights reforms passed by Virginia Democrats, Virginia has gone from one of the worst voting rights states in the country to one of the best. You can vote early in-person at the city or county registrar’s office through Saturday, November 4. If you requested a mail ballot, you can drop it off at your election day voting precinct, the registrar’s office, or put it in the mail by Election Day.
I hope UVA Law students who live in Charlottesville and Albemarle will cast their votes for our shared vision for our community. I hope you will vote for me and my fellow Democrats Katrina Callsen (54th District) and Amy Laufer (55th District), who are running to serve in the Virginia House of Delegates. You can find out more about all of our incredible Democratic candidates—including UVA Law student Mike Pruitt, who is running for the Board of Supervisors in the Scottsville District, and Allison Spillman, who is in a tight race against Meg Bryce, Antonin Scalia’s daughter—by going to the Charlottesville Dems[1] and Albemarle Dems[2] websites.
We can’t go backwards this November 7. Vote for a cleaner Virginia, a freer Virginia, a loving and tolerant Virginia. Vote for a Virginia that supports reproductive healthcare. Vote for respecting democracy and protecting our civic institutions. Whatever your reason, cast that ballot and make your voice heard.