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From VPAP Sample Ballot for June 17 Elections
Our easy-to-use tool provides a complete list of candidates on Virginia ballots for the June 17 primary elections. Enter your address to see the candidates seeking a party's nomination for statewide office, the Virginia House of Delegates, and local offices, along with your polling location.
VPAP Visual Measures of Legislator Wealth: 2025
Annual reports filed by members of the Virginia General Assembly are meant to disclose possible conflicts of interest, but they also provide a look at the wealth of elected officials. See how Republican and Democratic legislators compare across four different measures from the latest reports.
Trump pardons former Virginia sheriff convicted of taking $75K in bribes
President Donald Trump on Monday announced that he will pardon a former Virginia sheriff convicted of taking more than $75,000 in bribes in exchange for appointing businessmen as auxiliary deputy sheriffs within his department. In a Truth Social post, Trump said Scott Howard Jenkins, 53, of Culpeper, Virginia, was supposed to report to jail Tuesday but "instead will have a wonderful and productive life." Jenkins, the former sheriff of Culpeper County, was convicted last year of one count of conspiracy, four counts of honest services fraud, and seven counts of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. He was sentenced in March to 10 years in prison.
Loudoun Co. sheriff renews call for elementary school resource officers
Loudoun County Sheriff Michael Chapman wants to begin expanding the school resource officer program to the Virginia county’s 65 elementary schools, as part of the agency’s first public strategic plan. “We certainly have made a request to expand our SRO program to elementary schools — we’ve done that for several years now — but unfortunately, we haven’t met with success,” Chapman told WTOP. As recently as last year, Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Aaron Spence, while supporting the current SRO program, has stated he didn’t think expanding the armed officers in elementary schools would be beneficial.
Youngkin vetoed bill to make Black history classes count toward graduation. What’s next?
A Northern Virginia faith leader and parent said she will continue asking state lawmakers to make two African-American history courses count toward the state’s graduation requirements for history, after the governor — who vetoed the measure and whose four-year term is sunsetting — leaves office. Pastor Michelle Thomas, president of the NAACP Loudoun Branch, and Robin Reaves Burke of the Loudoun Freedom Center proposed the concept to state Del. David Reid, D-Loudoun, shortly after the commonwealth added African American History and AP African American Studies to the list of courses permitted to be taught in public high schools.
Student shadow shines with Senate bill
18-year-old Alyssa Manthey had a unique, hands-on experience with state government that allowed her to get up close and personal with the law-making process. Because of her online schooling, Mathey’s schedule was flexible enough that she was able to work with Senator Emily Jordan (R) multiple times during the life of Senate Bill 1289, which bans the use of color additives in public school food.
More Hampton Roads drivers use toll discounts, but millions of dollars are still available
Enrollment is growing in a program that offers millions of dollars of toll relief to Hampton Roads drivers who traverse the Downtown and Midtown tunnels. But the amount of money being used is just a fraction of what state lawmakers secured in the commonwealth’s fiscal budget. Virginia’s 2024-26 biennium budget includes $101 million in toll relief at the Downtown and Midtown tunnels connecting Norfolk and Portsmouth ...
UVa vowed to crack down on criminal students after Yeardley Love’s murder. Did it?
Nearly 15 years ago, after one student-athlete beat another one to death, the University of Virginia intensified its reporting process for students to divulge their arrests and convictions. Had UVa administrators known that lacrosse player George Huguely V had a prior conviction for attacking a police officer, they might have intervened. ... But three more lives would be lost to violence in 2022, when another UVa student with an undisclosed criminal conviction shot five schoolmates.
Treacy, Agee, Martin and Stottlemyer: Is college worth it? Virginians certainly think so
People seem to disagree passionately about everything these days. But we found a big exception. In a newly released public opinion survey conducted for the Virginia Business Higher Education Council — a nonprofit, nonpartisan partnership that it’s our privilege to lead — more than 90% of Virginians agreed on this: “The most important investment our state can make is to ensure that every Virginia resident is able to achieve the highest level of education that suits their aspirations and abilities, whether that is a skilled trade certificate, an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, or a graduate or professional degree.”
Ennen: Virginia’s new textbook law leaves costs unaddressed
Textbooks weigh heavily on the wallet as much as the backpack, but they will soon become harder for K-12 schools to avoid. A newly signed law, House Bill 2777, requires Virginia schools to base their curriculum around state-approved textbook materials. If all goes as planned, this law will bring about consistent class pacing and make lessons easier to follow. However, it presents a fuzzy financial issue for school districts: the price tag that must be addressed soon. The law will take effect July 2026, leaving only a year for school boards to generate the necessary funds.