The recent gubernatorial race in Virginia gave us our first large-scale look at voter confidence in an actual election since 2020. Examining CNN’s exit polls from Virginia, we can see that a partisan divide in election confidence persists. As the graph shows, the vast majority of Virginia voters were confident that their votes would be counted accurately. Yet of the 16 percent of Virginia voters who were not confident, the overwhelming majority backed Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin, who ultimately won. Although Youngkin sought to distance himself from Donald Trump’s election lies, 70 percent of Republican voters nationwide believe that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Apparently a small but significant portion of the Virginia electorate, primarily Republicans, continues to distrust elections, potentially signaling that claims of fraud will remain salient going into the 2022 midterms and beyond.
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Graphic of the Week: High Confidence in Virginia Election
A technical committee will soon review proposed changes to certification guidelines for voting systems. Local officials worry about the potential cost — and the impact on public faith.
The state’s in-house system has limitations that make it impractical for big cities. A committee is looking at commercial alternatives.
The voters were warned they would be moved to the inactive list if they didn’t respond. The Recorder’s Office said it was a printing error.
Groups like Rank MI Vote want the state to adopt the method that was just used in New York City’s mayoral primary.
If approved, the accord would close out four years of litigation over a 2021 law that drew a challenge from groups representing voting rights groups.
Confrontation shapes up as a preview of next year’s gubernatorial contest, in which the secretary of state is a leading contender.