Democrats swept Virginia's top three statewide offices and flipped about a dozen seats in the House of Delegates Tuesday, according to unofficial results from The Associated Press. More from @jahd.bsky.social and WAMU's @margaretbarthel.bsky.social on a big night for Dems in the commonwealth:

Results remain unofficial until certified by the state, but Democrat Abigail Spanberger appears set to be Virginia's first female governor. From @jahd.bsky.social and @margaretbarthel.bsky.social:

Follow here for VPM's unofficial results in the race for governor www.vpm.org/elections/20...

POLLS ARE CLOSED (though don't leave if you're in line at a polling location)! Stay tuned with VPM News throughout the night for coverage from races across Virginia.

Polls close in Virginia in 45 minutes (7 p.m.), but don't leave if you are still waiting in line at 7 — you will be allowed to vote!

So, what gets Virginia’s gubernatorial candidates pumped? Their playlists – or at least the public ones – might give some insight into exactly that. Here's a look at songs you might've heard on the campaign trail leading up to today.

Yesterday, City Council held a special meeting to formally introduce three resolutions to approve the effort. According to council staff, the legislation will be posted online no later than Nov. 12. The developments aim to add to Richmond’s affordable housing supply.

Happy Election Day, Virginia! Looking for our election coverage today? You can find it all here 👇🏼

On this very special Halloween edition of Curious Commonwealth, @seanmcgoey.com asks: "I keep seeing houses in my neighborhood decked out with decorations every bit as insane for Halloween. Has Richmond always been like this?" VPM News found the answer to be… no! Read (and listen) if you dare 👻

Virginia delegates file 2026 redistricting amendment draft www.vpm.org/generalassem...

DEVELOPING: Virginia delegates file 2026 redistricting amendment draft by @jahd.bsky.social #VApol #generalassembly

Here it is, folks. In the procedural resolution for what can be considered in Virginia's meeting this week "joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia related to reapportionment or redistricting may be offered." lis.virginia.gov/bill-details...

The state House clerk notified legislators in a letter Thursday afternoon that the session being called is, technically, part of the 2024 General Assembly special session — which remains active. The letter does not state outright that the topic will be electoral map redistricting.

UVA became the first public university and the fifth school overall to reject the compact. At a press conference prior to Friday's protest, education professor Walt Heinecke called the compact the most significant threat to the mission of higher education since the McCarthy era.

BREAKING: The University of Virginia has become the fifth school to reject the "Compact for Academic Excellence" that was initially sent to nine universities.

Today: me, @hannahdavisreid.bsky.social and @theshabomb.com will be at UVA for the Rally Against the Compact for @vpm.org. Here's to...a day.

In their first and only public debate in the election for Virginia's attorney general, former Del. Jay Jones said the race was about President Donald Trump — while incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares said the race was about Jones.

Hey, Virginia! It's time for the attorney general debate between Jason Miyares (R) and Jay Jones (D) at the University of Richmond. U of R's livestream is available here #VApol #2025election #Virginia

Richmond City Council voted Monday to keep the real estate tax rate at $1.20 per $100 of assessed value for 2026. They postponed the vote back in September; read @deanmirshahi.bsky.social's related story for more! #RVA

Gov. Glenn Youngkin's administration is not providing Virginia legislators or the public details of hundreds of millions of dollars of paused federal grants, according to records requests and documents acquired by @vpm.org and @wamu.org.

The federal government has started reductions in force, or RIFs, across federal agencies today. We want to hear from you if you’ve received a RIF letter — or if you know someone who works in the federal government and has been affected. DM us or email: [email protected]

VPM News reached out to all six statewide candidates — Gov., Lt. Gov., AG — for in-person interviews at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. Fmr. Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger spoke about the importance of creating jobs, improving public education and addressing affordability.

VPM News reached out to all six statewide candidates — Gov., Lt. Gov., AG — for in-person interviews at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears' campaign did not agree to an interview, so we used known info about her public stances, statements + policy positions.

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears also did not agree to an interview with VPM News. We're sharing the questions we would have asked her and using known information about her background and public stances to inform voters about where she falls on key issues like education and federal job cuts.

Abigail Spanberger (Dem., Governor): "You cannot contend with threats to your economy, you cannot contend with real fiscal issues, if you don't even assess them as real — or if you are choosing ... to put loyalty to a president and his talking points above the real economic impact on Virginians."

260+ homes in Hanover County have already been connected to new broadband internet service via the Connect Hanover initiative, but the project may face another set of delays as it nears completion.

Democrat Abigail Spanberger is making a push for rural votes in the weeks leading up to Election Day: "You can't win in rural areas, but you can lose in rural areas," says one gov. campaign worker. www.vpm.org/elections/20... via @jahd.bsky.social #VAPol

Some good MEWS: After a little adventure down to North Carolina, Francine is HOME! She visited the vet today and received a clean bill of health ❤️

Tavares Floyd — whose 2024 campaign for Richmond City Council drew scrutiny after the accuracy of his campaign finance filings was questioned — was indicted Monday on four counts of felony election fraud. If convicted on the four Class 5 felony charges, Floyd could get up to 40 years in prison.

Albemarle County Circuit Court Clerk Jon Zug told VPM News that there’s “no doubt” that the April detentions have had a chilling effect in the months following, with everyone from court interpreters to crime victims uneasy about engaging with the court for fear of being detained.

Silviano Mora Vera has an active Social Security number and is currently in the process of adjusting his legal status by applying for a permanent resident green card. It remains unclear why ICE detained him on Sept. 24.

Francine — an iconic Richmond cat who lives at the West Broad Street Lowe’s — has gone missing. According to a social media post, an employee said the last time that Francine had been seen in the store was on Sept. 18. An Instagram account was set up to share up-to-date information in her search.

Election Day in Virginia is just over a month away (Nov. 4) — with the state’s top three offices all up for grabs. VPM News State Politics Reporter @jahd.bsky.social set out to interview all six candidates for those offices in order to highlight where they stand on key issues for Virginia voters.

The CDC's vaccine advisory panel voted on Friday to drop a recommendation that most adults get the COVID-19 vaccine, but ruled that the vaccine should remain available without a prescription and covered by insurance for those who want it.

Early voting is now open in Virginia! www.vpm.org/elections/20...

A new study found that 21 of the 25 Richmond neighborhoods facing the highest average energy cost burdens were majority-Black, including several historically redlined areas in the East End and Southside.

We asked you how it was going if you were trying to get the new 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccine in Central Virginia. The overwhelming response was: It's a little bit (or a lot) confusing! Patrick Larsen on the current landscape — which could change again next week:

At the upcoming University of Virginia Board of Visitors Finance Committee meeting on Sept. 12, the university is expected to lease and transfer the historic Oak Lawn home to Charlottesville City Schools for a “nominal fee.” www.vpm.org/news/2025-09...

Thanks to @hannahdavisreid.bsky.social and @vpm.org for this fantastic story! www.vpm.org/news/2025-09...

SOON.

We're on week two of Finding Joy!

What do rats, heavy metal, athletics and community service have in common? They’re just a few of the things that bring joy to people's lives across Central Virginia! Finding Joy, our summer series, is exploring some of those people, places and activities now through Sept. 5. ☀️A THREAD:

Hey #RVA! What brings you joy? Phil Liles and the crew are at RPL Main Branch (101 East Franklin St.) until 1 p.m. recording your answers :)

"Operation Defend and Deliver" would defend policy wins of the past four years that Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Gov. Glenn Youngkin had made. But, when asked, her office and campaign have been unable to show what kind of role she has had in Youngkin's administration.

Virginia revised its constitution in 1851 to allow popular elections for governor. The first such election happened that same year, a year before the 1852 presidential election. That's the whole story of how Virginia's off-year elections began. Just kidding! Curious Commonwealth has more:

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and General Assembly Democrats painted divergent pictures of the future health of Virginia's economy and finances at dueling presentations Thursday. There might be truth to both of those financial pictures. More from @jahd.bsky.social:

About 60 Virginia National Guard members will be deployed around the state as early as September to support immigration enforcement agents with administrative and logistics support. Training and processing is set to start at the end of this month, with members reporting for duty by early September.

Megan Pauly, who has reported extensively for VPM News on campus protests at VCU and Haddad’s degree being withheld, spoke to VPM News Features Editor Whittney Evans about how this situation unfolded and why Haddad’s degree was withheld in the first place. A transcript of that interview is below.

Hey, Central Virginia. It's really, really hot outside. Stay cool! www.vpm.org/news/2025-06...