Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday that he was issuing an executive order to delay local May elections by two weeks.
The elections for city and town councils, mayors, county boards or school boards in several localities across the state — including Chesapeake, Norfolk, Hampton, Newport News and Williamsburg — were scheduled for May 5.
Northam’s order will push the election back until May 19. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is now May 12.
The move comes after the state Senate rejected Northam’s plan to move May elections to November earlier this week.
The plan won approval in the House during the reconvened General Assembly session, but the Senate refused to consider the plan. Some in the Senate had floated a different delay plan, to push elections to June instead of November.
For weeks, state and local elections officials have been pushing for people to vote by mail, clearing a path for anyone who wants to maintain social distancing to get an absentee ballot to cast from home by selecting “disability or illness” when applying for one online.
Northam echoed the recommendation for residents to vote absentee during his address on Friday.
In the meantime, elections officials have had to grapple with other challenges, including staffing polling places for Election Day.
Northam could call a special General Assembly session to consider further delays. But unless that happens, voters planning to cast a local ballot in person should plan to head to the polls on May 19.
Ryan Murphy, 757-739-8582, ryan.murphy@pilotonline.com
