Congressional control is the big thing up for grabs in Tuesday’s midterm elections, but there are other issues and contests on the ballot in the Richmond area that have less to do with national politics.

There are school board races in both the city of Richmond and Chesterfield County, and leaders in both localities are asking voters to approve adding a 1% sales tax to help fund the construction and renovation of public school buildings.

Polls will be open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters can check their registration status and look up their polling place by using the citizen portal offered by the Virginia Department of Elections. 

Virginia has several battleground districts in the fight for partisan control of the U.S. House of Representatives, two of which are unfolding in parts of the Richmond suburbs.

In the 1st District, Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor, a Democrat, is trying to unseat longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, a Republican who was first elected to Congress in 2007. The district includes large portions of Chesterfield and Henrico counties, where Democrats will be looking to rack up enough votes to counter Wittman’s strength in the more conservative Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula areas.

A little further west, parts of the greater Richmond region, including Powhatan and Goochland counties, will be voting in the 5th District contest between U.S. Rep. John McGuire, the Republican incumbent, and former Democratic congressman Tom Perriello.

In the 4th District, which covers the entire city of Richmond and parts of Chesterfield and Henrico, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan has opposition from Republican Robert Murray Jr. and independent Joan Bell. That race is not seen as competitive.

In the statewide race at the top of the ballot, Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Warner is an overwhelming favorite to defeat Republican challenger Bert Mizusawa.

In the local school board contests, voters in some parts of Richmond and Chesterfield are filling seats left open because incumbents stepped down.

In Richmond, former Virginia education secretary Anne Holton is trying to hold on to the 6th District seat she was appointed to earlier this year. She’s facing competition from longtime educator Jackie McDonough for a seat left open by the departure of former board member Shonda Harris-Muhammed.

Anne Holton will run for her Richmond School Board seat in November’s special election

Anne Holton has been involved in campaigns since she was 5 years old. But this is the first time she’s on the ballot herself.

The RichmonderVictoria A. Ifatusin

Longtime science educator Jackie McDonnough enters race for 6th District School Board seat

Some of the pillars of McDonnough’s campaigns are strong collective bargaining and higher pay for teachers, new and improved school facilities, no new charter schools in the division, and no ICE in schools.

The RichmonderVictoria A. Ifatusin

In Chesterfield, Christina Brady and Elizabeth Schultz are competing for the Clover Hill District seat on the school board.That seat was vacated last year by former board member Dot Heffron, who resigned amid backlash over a social media post about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Chesterfield’s lone school board race pits a political veteran against a newcomer

With early voting opening Friday, two candidates are running in Chesterfield County’s Clover Hill District.

The RichmonderEleanor Shaw

In both Richmond and Chesterfield, voters will also weigh in on local ballot referendums aimed at raising more tax dollars for local schools. Earlier this year, the General Assembly gave localities the power to add a 1% sales tax, with the revenue dedicated to building new schools or doing major renovations to existing school buildings.

Should voters raise the sales tax to fund school maintenance? Here's what you need to know.

Get up to speed on the potential sales tax increase for schools.

The RichmonderEleanor Shaw

In addition to the local tax question, voters will see three statewide ballot referendums dealing with constitutional amendments.

Question 1 would enshrine a right to abortion in the Virginia Constitution, a measure sought after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Question 2 asks if voters want to eliminate Virginia’s defunct ban on same-sex marriage and declare that all legally valid marriages are equal under the law.

Question 3 would end Virginia’s longstanding policy of lifetime voting disenfranchisement for felony convictions, allowing voting rights to be automatically restored once someone completes their sentence. Under the current system, offenders returning to society have to petition the governor to regain their voting rights.

Voters can find more information about what’s on their specific ballot by using the state’s ballot lookup tool.

Contact Reporter Graham Moomaw at gmoomaw@richmonder.org.