Primary elections in Virginia will be held Aug. 4, instead of the typical third Tuesday in June.

The General Assembly approved the change, and it was signed into law Friday. It comes ahead of a potential voter referendum in April on redistricting, and would allow candidates and voters more time in the event their district changes.

Even if the voter referendum doesn’t happen, which is a possibility due to ongoing legal challenges, or it doesn’t pass, the state will still hold its primaries Aug. 4, rather than June 16.

The date change only applies to 2026 primaries, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.

Early in-person voting for the August primary will begin June 19 and end Aug. 1. The deadline to request a mailed absentee ballot is July 24, and voters can request an absentee ballot online or by contacting their general registrar’s office.

Voters can drop off absentee ballots at their general registrar’s office or a designated drop box during early voting or at polling locations on Aug. 4. Those returning absentee ballots by mail must postmark those ballots no later than Aug. 4 and the general registrar must receive them by noon Aug. 7.

The deadline to register to vote is July 24. After that, voters can register and vote via a provisional ballot using same-day registration.

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