How often do we elect officials?
4-year term: U.S. President plus Virginia Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and State Senators
2-year term: U. S. Representatives and Virginia State Delegates
6-year term: U.S. Senators service
View a calendar of planned elections through 2010
Interesting information:
In Virginia, the equivalent of the President and Vice President are the Governor and Lieutenant Governor; however, unlike Presidential elections where a candidate chooses a running mate, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor run independently … and recently have been elected from opposing parties.
Virginia is one of only a few states that elect its Governor during “off” years. For instance, while the Presidential election occurs in 2008, 2012, and so on, the Gubernatorial election occurs the following year.
In Virginia, the Governor can only serve one consecutive term. What that means is that the Governor elected in 2009 cannot run in 2013; however, she or he may run in 2017!
Who represents me?
Two Senators represent Virginia in the U.S. Senate:
Your U.S. Congressional and Virginia General Assembly legislators are determined by your address, which you can find out online by entering your address with your complete zip code. If you don’t know your entire zip code, such as 23220-5124, determine your zip code first.
Want to know if you agree with how your representation is voting?
With a few clicks, you can find roll call votes for the U.S. Congress or U.S. Senate.
Finding out how your State Senator or State Delegate voted is more complicated. However, you can stay informed by reading any or all of the following resources:
Once you’re informed about the issues, write your State Senator or State Delegate to find out his or her stance in issues that interest you.
See “Tips for Advocacy” for more details.
