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UpdateVirginiaFriday, October 30, 2026

Virginia Beach election board denies DOJ monitor access

Reporting by
The Virginian-Pilot
“Virginia Beach election board votes to deny DOJ election monitors”, Friday, October 30, 2026
Read the full story
What happened

Virginia Beach's Electoral Board voted unanimously on Friday, October 30, 2026, to deny all neutral observers access inside polling locations. The vote rejected a U.S. Department of Justice request for election monitors. Eddie Seay, organizing director for Freedom Virginia and a representative of the Virginia Beach NAACP, spoke against the DOJ observers at the board meeting.1

three-person
size of Virginia Beach Electoral Board1
What it means in Virginia

What this means for voting in Virginia Beach

The decision came one day before early voting in the form of in-person absentee voting ends at 5 p.m. on Saturday October 31, 2026.2

Key dates in Virginia

Election Day in 2 days
  1. Fri, Sep 18 · passed
    Early voting begins
  2. Fri, Oct 23 · passed
    Last day for mail ballot applications
  3. Sat, Oct 31 · passed
    Early voting ends
  4. Tue, Nov 3 · 2 days
    Election Day; Registration deadline
  5. Fri, Nov 6 · 5 days
    Mail ballots must arrive
  6. Fri, Nov 13 · 12 days
    County/Local certification
  7. Mon, Dec 7 · 36 days
    State certification

Every date in Virginia, and who certifies the election

More on this story
Virginia · Oct 29
Federal election monitors deployed to Virginia, not Richmond area
Reporting by NBC12/12 On Your Side (Richmond)
Virginia · Oct 29
Justice Department requested to send election monitors to Virginia
Reporting by Cardinal News
The answers behind this
Who runs elections, and who can't interfereVoting in Virginia, 2026Who certifies the election in Virginia, and by when?What happens when an official refuses to certify?

Explore this issue

OverviewUpdates In depthMaricopa County asked DOJ to send only monitors without election convictions In depthFairfax County added two permanent ballot drop boxes In depthOregon reminded voters of ballot return deadline In depthVirginia NAACP told voters they don't have to talk to DOJ monitors In depthMaricopa County asked Justice Department to screen election monitors In depthJustice Department filed declaration on election monitors in NAACP lawsuit In depthRecords showed Apache County's 2024 election problems were worse than reported In depthFlorida secretary of state discussed election security ahead of midterms In depthTexas will have over 500 fewer Election Day polling sites than in 2018 In depthPennsylvania reminded voters that police are barred near polls In depthNBC 6 outlined Florida's in-person voting rules for 2026 In depthVirginia voters to decide on automatic voting rights restoration for felons

Sources

  1. The Virginian-Pilot, https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMifEFVX3lxTE83bTNZaHZKLVVscXBZNzRvLWZ3ck9tT3VfSlEtUldGajBwSUN2eVctWHdDUHJXM0dYcElfWGF5T01tUHE0MVRqWnAtQVprVlZIUWtDcHZwN3FhajJ0SUM5ZlVMbWpKcjUzYnJaVzNQYm1XMG00WmlOLTl0a0s?oc=5 · Friday, October 30, 2026
  2. US Vote Foundation, Virginia Election Dates and Deadlines, https://www.usvotefoundation.org/virginia-election-dates-and-deadlines

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