The Virginia General Assembly adjourned its 2026 regular session on April 22 after sending 51 election-related bills to Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) and adopting three resolutions. Spanberger signed 46 bills and vetoed five.

The 2026 session was the first time in five years that Virginia had a Democratic trifecta, where one party controls both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s office, after Spanberger won election in 2025. The 49 election-related bills and resolutions approved during the 2026 session equaled a 250% increase over the state's previous average of 14 measures approved per year from 2023 to 2025.

Spanberger signed 28 election-related bills in February, March, and April, vetoed one, and returned an additional 22 bills to legislators with suggested amendments. Lawmakers approved her suggested amendments to 17 of those bills on April 22. Spanberger vetoed four of the remaining bills and signed one without her suggested amendments in May.

During the 2026 session, lawmakers passed HJR 4, a resolution that sent a constitutional amendment to voters to allow mid-decade redistricting and to enact new congressional maps ahead of the 2026 elections. The amendment was approved in an April 21 special election, but that election was later nullified by the Supreme Court of Virginia, which ruled that the legislature violated procedural requirements in enacting the amendment.

Legislators also adopted HJR 2, a constitutional amendment that, if approved by voters in the Nov. 3 general election, would automatically restore voting rights for individuals convicted of a felony upon completion of their sentence. HB 964 and SB 164 would implement the policy if the constitutional amendment is approved.

HJR 2 passed the state House of Delegates 63-33 on Jan. 14, with 62 Democrats and one Republican voting in favor and 33 Republicans voting against. It then passed the state Senate 21-18 on Jan. 16, with 21 Democrats voting in favor and 18 Republicans voting against.

Currently, Virginia has no mechanism for automatically restoring voting rights for individuals convicted of a felony. Instead, people must apply for restoration to the governor's office upon completion of their sentence, including any prison time, parole, or probation. Some governors have used their authority to automatically restore voting rights to thousands of people with felony convictions upon completion of their sentences.

Other notable election-related bills that were enacted include:

• HB 215 and SB 57, which require Virginia to join the Electronic Registration Information Center and ensure its membership remains in good standing. HB 215 also sets out future requirements for joining or terminating a data-sharing agreement with a third-party organization.
• HB 965 and SB 322, which require Virginia to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, an initiative in which member states agree to award their Electoral College votes to the presidential ticket that receives the most votes nationwide. Virginia was the lone Democratic trifecta state that had not previously joined the NPVIC.
• HB 967, which expands the state’s voting rights act to prohibit local governmental bodies from enacting policies that dilute or abridge the voting rights of protected classes. The bill also allows groups whose membership includes individuals affected by a local government action to initiate a court action or submit public comments regarding the action.
• HB 1441 and SB 783, which prohibit federal agents from conducting any immigration enforcement activity within 500 yards of any polling place during the times the polls are open and ballots are being counted or within one hour of opening and after closing.
• HB 1483 and SB 51, which require localities with a population of 400,000 people or more to use single-member districts for municipal elections.
• SB 176, which permits the use of ranked-choice voting (RCV) to elect members of any local governing body, repeals the July 1, 2031, expiration date for the law authorizing the use of RCV, and requires the State Board of Elections to develop standards for tabulation software to be used in RCV elections.
• SB 438, which requires early voting to be offered for a minimum of five hours between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on the second and third Sundays before the election. 

Spanberger's five vetoes of election-related bills were the most in any Democratic trifecta state since Michigan in 2024. The vetoed bills were:

• HB 111, which prohibits election officials from canceling a voter’s registration based on anything other than approved state data, a death notice, or a written request from the voter.
• HB 639, which amends the state’s prohibition on private election funding to allow election officials to accept private funds or grants of up to $1,000, as well as property or services valued at any amount.
• HB 650 and SB 351, which prohibit immigration enforcement within 40 feet of a polling place, recount location, or electoral board meeting place.
• SB 661, which allows for a referendum on whether to prohibit electronic skill gaming devices at retailers in a locality.

Virginia approved 11 election-related measures in 2025, 18 in 2024, and 13 in 2023. The state had a divided government in each of those years.