"Virginia's Hotly Contested 2023 Primaries: What You Need to Know"

Virginia voters cast ballots in primary elections that will determine the leverage each party has in a General Assembly set to confront hot-button issues such as abortion rights and gun violence. Every seat in the narrowly divided state legislature is up for election this fall, and redrawn political maps led to both a wave of retirements and animated contests among sitting lawmakers now pitted against each other. Development and affordable housing issues are forefront in some Northern Virginia races, where the deep-blue electorate typically selects the next officeholder during the primary. Arlington voters are using the state’s first ranked-choice voting system to winnow six Democratic candidates to two nominees for the Arlington County Board.