Virginia's 2027 general election is on Tuesday, November 2, 2027, and any party primaries are on Tuesday, June 15, 2027. For candidates, the first date is Friday, January 1, 2027, when petition signatures may start to be collected. Candidates seeking a party nomination in a primary file with their local party chair between noon on Monday, March 15 and 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 1, 2027. Independent candidates, including every school board candidate, file by 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 15, 2027, the same evening the primary polls close.
Every seat in the Senate of Virginia and the House of Delegates is up in 2027, along with county constitutional officers, most boards of supervisors and elected school boards. The June 15 and November 2 dates appear on the Virginia Department of Elections (ELECT) schedule of general elections for 2026 to 2030. Most other dates on this page are computed from the Code of Virginia and are marked "based on state law," because ELECT had not yet posted its 2027 candidate bulletins when we checked in November 2026. Confirm every date with your general registrar or ELECT before you rely on it. For the full process of getting on the ballot, start with our guide to running for local office in Virginia.
The 2027 dates at a glance
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Friday, January 1, 2027 | Petition signatures may be collected from this date |
| Wednesday, February 10 to Tuesday, March 2, 2027 | Parties tell ELECT which offices will have a primary (based on state law) |
| Monday, March 15, 2027, noon | Primary filing opens with the party chair (based on state law) |
| Thursday, April 1, 2027, 5:00 p.m. | Primary filing deadline (based on state law) |
| Thursday, April 29, 2027 | First day for party-run nominations, such as conventions (based on state law) |
| Friday, June 4, 2027 | Last day to register to vote or apply for a mailed ballot for the primary (based on state law) |
| Tuesday, June 15, 2027 | Primary, polls open 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday, June 15, 2027, 7:00 p.m. | Deadline for independent candidates and for party-run nominations (based on state law) |
| Friday, October 22, 2027 | Last day to register to vote or apply for a mailed ballot for November (based on state law) |
| Tuesday, November 2, 2027 | General election, polls open 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. |
Before January: November and December 2026
Sunday, November 15, 2026, if you plan to text. Campaign Verify, the check that political campaigns need before texting from a registered number, sets its cycle by the date you request it. A request made before November 15 expires on Sunday, January 31, 2027, before the primary. A request made on or after November 15 lasts until Wednesday, January 31, 2029, which covers both 2027 elections.
Decide which route you are taking. A party candidate is nominated by a primary or by a method the party runs itself, such as a convention, depending on what the local party committee decides. An independent candidate goes straight to the November ballot by petition, and every school board candidate files this way. Ask your local party chair or general registrar which applies to your office, and print the current forms from ELECT's candidate forms page.
January 2027: circulation begins
Friday, January 1, 2027. Signatures dated on or after January 1 of the election year count. Primary and independent candidates need signatures from qualified voters of the district: 250 for the Senate of Virginia, and 125 for most other offices on the 2027 ballot. ELECT recommends collecting at least one and a half times the number required. For the form, the circulator and the notary step, see the Virginia candidate petition guide on Beacon, our canvassing app's site.
Early January. The Certificate of Candidate Qualification may be filed any time after January 1, and primary candidates may pay the filing fee (2 percent of the office's minimum annual salary) to the treasurer or director of finance where they live. Ask your general registrar for the 2027 opening day.
February and March 2027: the parties choose, and filing opens
Wednesday, February 10 to Tuesday, March 2, 2027 (based on state law). Each party tells ELECT, between 125 and 105 days before the primary, which offices will have a primary (Va. Code § 24.2-516). Ask the party's local chair which method it chose.
Monday, March 15, 2027, noon (based on state law). Primary filing opens, 92 days before the primary (§ 24.2-522). Primary candidates file their Declaration of Candidacy, petition pages and filing fee receipt with the party chair. ELECT's bulletins name the chair of the locality where you live for a local office, and the chair of the House district for a House of Delegates seat. The first petition page must go in with the declaration, and later pages may follow during the window.
April 2027: the primary filing deadline
Thursday, April 1, 2027, 5:00 p.m. (based on state law). The primary filing deadline, 75 days before the primary (§ 24.2-522). Papers must be received by 5:00 p.m., and ELECT says a postmark does not count. The Certificate of Candidate Qualification and, where required, the Statement of Economic Interests are also due by this deadline for primary candidates.
Tuesday, April 6, 2027, 5:00 p.m. (based on state law). A new rule from January 1, 2027: if an incumbent General Assembly member, local governing body member, mayor or constitutional officer has not filed by April 1, or withdraws by then, anyone else may file for that office until 5:00 p.m. on the 70th day before the primary (§ 24.2-522).
Sunday, April 11, 2027 (based on state law). Last day to file and serve a court challenge to a primary candidate's eligibility, 65 days before the primary (§ 24.2-546).
Thursday, April 29, 2027 (based on state law). Party-run nominations may begin. A party may nominate by a method other than a primary only within the 47 days before the primary date (§ 24.2-510).
May and June 2027: the primary
Around the start of May. Early in-person voting begins at the general registrar's office about 45 days before the election (§ 24.2-701.1). ELECT publishes the exact first day, so check before you tell supporters.
Friday, June 4, 2027 (based on state law). Last day to register to vote for the primary, because registration closes during the 10 days before an election (§ 24.2-416). ELECT says voters may still register in person after the deadline and vote a provisional ballot. It is also the 5:00 p.m. deadline to apply for a ballot by mail (§ 24.2-701).
Saturday, June 12, 2027, 5:00 p.m. (based on state law). Early in-person voting ends.
Tuesday, June 15, 2027. Primary day, where a party chose a primary and more than one candidate filed. Polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Any qualified voter may vote, but only in one party's primary.
Tuesday, June 15, 2027, 7:00 p.m. (based on state law). Three deadlines fall at once (§§ 24.2-503, 24.2-507, 24.2-510):
- Independent candidates file their Declaration of Candidacy and petitions with the general registrar of the county or city where they live.
- Party-run nominations must be complete. The party chair then certifies the nominee within five days.
- Independent and party-run candidates file their Certificate of Candidate Qualification and, where required, their Statement of Economic Interests.
July to November 2027: the general election
Wednesday, August 4, 2027 (based on state law). Last day to file and serve a court challenge to a candidate's eligibility for the November ballot, 90 days before the election (§ 24.2-546).
Mid-September 2027. Early in-person voting begins about 45 days before the election. Confirm the first day with your general registrar.
Friday, October 22, 2027 (based on state law). Last day to register to vote and the 5:00 p.m. deadline to apply for a mailed ballot.
Saturday, October 30, 2027, 5:00 p.m. (based on state law). Early in-person voting ends.
Tuesday, November 2, 2027. General election. Polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Local officers take office on January 1, 2028, and General Assembly members on Wednesday, January 12, 2028 (based on state law).
A note on May town elections
Virginia law still provides for a May general election, with candidates filing by the first Tuesday in March. ELECT's 2026 to 2030 schedule lists only November elections, and its upcoming elections page listed no May 2027 election when we checked. Town candidates should ask their town clerk or general registrar when the council is next elected.
Step in the calendar: set up texting before the busy months
Primary candidates spend February and March collecting signatures, so set up texting in December or January, before the busy weeks.
- Settle your committee and its filing. Campaign Verify costs $95 per two-year cycle. It needs a 527 committee (527 is the federal tax status of a political committee), an EIN (the committee's federal tax ID number) and a filing with an election authority that is published online. Check with the Department of Elections for the filings that apply to your campaign and whether they can be viewed online. If yours cannot, contact Campaign Verify Support before you request. Campaign Verify decides eligibility.
- Open your CampaignCNX+ account. CampaignCNX+ files your registration with the carriers (the mobile phone companies), either as 10DLC (the registration for texting from a standard local-style number) or as toll-free. For a toll-free number, the carrier review usually takes about three business days. You buy the $95 Campaign Verify token from Campaign Verify, and CampaignCNX+ files it with your registration. 100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month.
- Schedule your reminders. Write short texts for the start of early voting, the registration deadline and election day. Send them only to supporters who agreed in writing to receive your texts, end each person's first message with "Reply STOP to opt out," and remember that texts send only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the recipient's time zone.
A petition signature is not permission to text. Use a separate, dated sign-up sheet for that. Our campaign plan to the June 15, 2027 Virginia primary turns these dates into a weekly schedule, and our post on Campaign Verify for local candidates explains verification in more depth. For texting across the country, see our political texting page.
Mark the first deadlines now
The three months between January 1 and April 1 pass quickly for a primary candidate. Put January 1, April 1 and June 15 on your calendar today. Start a CampaignCNX+ trial once your committee filing is in place.
