Voter Guide For Fredericksburg: What's On The Ballot, Early Voting & More

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — On Nov. 3, voters in Fredericksburg will cast ballots to choose their representatives on Capitol Hill. They will also vote on three statewide ballot questions.

In the Aug. 4 Republican primary, Bert Mizusawa was declared the GOP's candidate for U.S. Senate on the Nov. 3 ballot. He defeated challengers David E. Williams and Kim Farington. Mizusawa faces incumbent Senator Mark Warner (D).

Mizusawa is a decorated retired Army major general who also holds a law degree. His long career includes senior military leadership roles, legal and federal contracting work, and advisory roles to the first Trump campaign and the CIA. He has previously run unsuccessfully for federal office in Virginia.

In the 7th Congressional District, incumbent Democrat Eugene Vindman is facing Republican Douglas Ollivant, Libertarian Taner Lopez, and three independent challengers: Alaha Ahrar, Joshua Ertle and Randell A. Terry.

The statewide deadline to request a mail-in ballot is 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, and in-person early voting ends on Oct. 31.

Member, United States Senate

• Mark R. Warner - D
• Bert Mizusawa - R
• Write-in

Member, House Of Representatives (7th District)

• Eugene Vindman - D
• Douglas Ollivant - R
• Taner Lopez - L
• Alaha Ahrar - I
• Joshua Ertle - I
• Randall A Terry - I

Fredericksburg voters will find three statewide questions on the ballot:

Question 1: Reproductive Freedom

A yes vote would add protections to the state constitution for personal decisions about pregnancy, childbirth, birth control, abortion and fertility care. It would also protect patients and the health care workers helping them from punishment for exercising those rights.

The state could limit abortions during the third trimester, roughly the final three months of pregnancy. Exceptions would be required when a doctor determines an abortion is needed to protect the patient’s life or physical or mental health, or when the fetus cannot survive outside the womb.

A no vote would leave the constitution unchanged and without these protections. It would not, by itself, ban abortion or change existing laws.

Question 2: Marriage Equality

A yes vote would remove the state constitution’s ban on same-sex marriage and say that two adults can marry regardless of their sex, gender or race. It would also require equal treatment of all legal marriages.

A no vote would keep the ban’s wording in the constitution. Same-sex marriage would remain legal under the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling.

Question 3: Voting Rights

A yes vote would make voting a basic right protected by the state constitution for qualified voters. People convicted of felonies would automatically regain their voting rights upon release, without needing the governor to restore them.

It would also require a court to find that someone cannot understand what voting means before taking away their voting rights on that basis.

A no vote would keep the current rules. People convicted of felonies would still need their voting rights restored before they could vote, and the state constitution’s existing restriction for people found mentally incompetent would remain.

How To Vote

Fredericksburg voters can cast ballots in person Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the City of Fredericksburg Office of Voter Registration and Elections at 601 Caroline St., Suite 500.

The Office of Voter Registration and Elections will also be open on Saturdays, Oct. 24 and Oct. 31, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sundays, Oct. 17 and Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., for early in-person voting. Early voting ends on Oct. 31.

The deadline to request a by-mail ballot is Friday, Oct. 23, at 5 p.m. Return completed ballots by 7 p.m. on Nov. 3. You can return ballots by mail, in person at the polls or at a ballot drop box.

The deadline to register or update registration information is Friday, Oct. 23. Return applications in person by 5 p.m. or online by 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 23. Check your registration status in the Virginia Department of Elections Citizen Portal.

On Election Day, Nov. 3, polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Find your polling location on the Virginia Department of Elections website.