“You don’t want to wait until a week before the election and then decide to put it in the mail,” said Stephanie Iles, the city’s director of elections and general registrar. “There is a possibility that we might not get it in time.”

The United States Postal Service has faced nationwide slowdowns in the past few years due to strains from the pandemic and operational cutbacks. Virginia was hit hard, as Richmond served as a guinea pig for Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s cost-cutting plan of consolidating individual processing centers into larger regional hubs.

Local and state election officials are subsequently pushing absentee voters to request and return their mail-in ballots as soon as possible to avoid missing the deadline.

“I think we are all concerned about it,” Iles said.

Christine Lewis, Virginia Beach’s director of elections and general registrar, said she noted slower services during recent elections.

“It’s taking about three to five days for people to receive their ballots in the mail,” she said. “I would have said pre-COVID, it would usually take people about two days.”

Election Day is Nov. 5 but early voting starts Sept. 20.

To be counted, absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by the general registrar’s office by noon on the third day following the election. If possible, Iles and Lewis encouraged absentee voters who are approaching the deadline to consider dropping ballots off at the registrars’ office or a drop-box location.

“If I had to name what my biggest concern is with the 2024 general election, it would be the operational performance of the United States Postal Service,” she said, adding the department raised concerns prior to last year’s election. “We started hearing from registrars that they were having issues with mail ballots not being delivered to voters, not getting them back in time or ballots coming back as being undeliverable.”

Beals said absentee voters should get started on the process early so any mishaps or delays can be addressed.

“I know folks sometimes get their ballot and go ‘Well I’m just going to let it marinate here and think about it’ — you can’t do that this year,” she said. “You need to make sure that you mail it back (immediately) or drop it off.”

Absentee voting is a popular option nationwide, according to Elliott Fullmer, a political science professor at Randolph-Macon College. Fullmer, who researches voting and elections, said about 40% and 32% of voters used that method in 2020 and ’22, respectively.

He believes it’s always a good idea to take an earlier approach to absentee voting and said officials’ concerns should never be dismissed.

“I am glad they are voicing those concerns now because if there is something that is hurting the processing of ballots, it’s better to flag that now than before it is too late,” he said. “What I am encouraged by is that, despite the significant concerns that everybody had in 2020, I feel like the system worked well.”

Fullmer said Virginia has also made it easier to vote since the pandemic by expanding the number of voting methods.

Although Virginia ranked worst in the nation this year for postal service, there also have been improvements amid pushback from residents and lawmakers. Several federal legislators in Virginia, including Republican Rep. Rob Wittman of Yorktown and Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, met with Dejoy in July for an update.

The on-time delivery rate of first-class mail in Virginia improved from 66% to 77.4% during the first quarter of this year, according to a release about the meeting from Kaine’s office. But this fell short of the goal of 93%.

“The numbers are getting better,” Kaine told The Virginian-Pilot last month. “We still have some parts of the Richmond distribution area out around Charlottesville where it’s bad.

“Then the postal service frightened everyone last week by saying it might have to curtail services in rural areas (in 2025). Rural America relies more on the postal service than urban America does so that went over very poorly — so we have more work to do.”

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com 

The Republican submitted a statement of organization with the Virginia Department of Elections. Any individual seeking public office in Virginia must file a statement of organization within 10 days of accepting or spending campaign funds or appointing a campaign treasurer. The paperwork states that a contribution was first accepted, and an expenditure made, on Wednesday.

Then she made her formal public announcement Thursday night in front of at least 200 supporters at Chick’s Oyster Bar restaurant in Virginia Beach, including city Mayor Bobby Dyer.

“With your support we can secure the future of Virginia and make sure that the values that we cherish remain strong for generations to come. So let’s roll up our sleeves. Let’s get to work, let’s get to work, lets get to work!” she told the crowd.

Dyer was among the opening speakers, and he led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.

“How about this folks? How about we take this November’s election and victory and let’s put a Marine in the Governor’s Mansion next year!” he said.

Earle-Sears was elected lieutenant governor in 2021. She is the first woman to hold the position in Virginia and the first Black woman to hold statewide office.

Earle-Sears is the first Republican to announce a bid, although state Attorney General Jason Miyares is expected to run as well. He released a statement on social media Thursday saying the party should be focused on winning races this year.

U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger is the only declared Democratic candidate so far. She has raised about $7 million as of June 30, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonpartisan organization that tracks campaign donations.

Earle-Sears told the story of her father’s immigration from Jamaica in 1963, just days before Martin Luther King Jr.‘s “I Have a Dream” speech.

“It was the height of the Civil Rights Movement, but folks, it is no longer 1963. This is two-zero-two-four,” she said. “Things have changed, have they not? Of course they have, because how else could I be second in command in the former capital of the Confederate states? The Klan is turning over in their grave.”

Earle-Sears served four years in the Marines, working as an electrician. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Old Dominion University and a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Regent University.

In a Thursday news release, Democratic Party of Virginia Chairwoman Susan Swecker criticized Earle-Sears as a far-right “extremist.”

“If elected governor, she’d unleash her radical agenda: outlawing abortions, rolling back gun safety measures, dismantling LGBTQ+ rights, gutting healthcare for millions, and slashing funding for public schools,” Swecker said.

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com

Gavin Stone, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com

Photos: Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears announces run for governor

The Democrat submitted a statement of organization with the Virginia Department of Elections. Any individual seeking public office in Virginia must file a statement of organization within 10 days of accepting or spending campaign funds or appointing a campaign treasurer. The paperwork states that a treasurer was appointed Aug. 28.

Surrounded Monday by campaigning Democrats at U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott’s annual Labor Day cookout, including Kamala Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff, Jones declined to comment on his campaign.

“Jay remains solely focused on the critical elections in November, which is why he is in Newport News today campaigning for the Harris-Walz ticket,” Chief of Staff Lesley Stewart wrote in a Monday email. “Any formal announcement will come after those elections have concluded.”

Jones, an attorney, lost the Democratic primary for attorney general in 2021 to two-term incumbent Mark Herring, who was defeated in the general election by Republican Jason Miyares. The former Virginia Beach delegate has not announced whether he intends to seek reelection.

Jones served in the House of Delegates from 2018-21. He won reelection in November 2021, but announced his resignation a month later, explaining he and his wife were expecting their first child. He said at the time that he planned to return to politics.

“Let me be clear, our work is not done and I intend to serve the people of Virginia for years to come,” Jones said then. “And that work may well mean a run for attorney general in 2025.”

Jones will face against at least one other Democrat. Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor announced in June she is seeking the office. Taylor has raised $293,325 as of June 30, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonpartisan organization that tracks campaign funds.

Jones’ family has a history of public service. His father, Jerrauld Corey Jones, held the same Norfolk House seat from 1988 to 2002. His grandfather, Hilary H. Jones Jr., was the first African American appointed to the Norfolk School Board and the Virginia Board of Education.

Reporter Trevor Metcalfe contributed to this report.

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com 

“Today’s settlement is a big win for Virginia consumers, resolving nearly eight years of litigation,” Attorney General Jason Miyares said in a Friday release.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that Delaware could not keep money from unclaimed MoneyGram checks. MoneyGram is an international peer-to-peer payment and money transfer company. The court determined the unclaimed checks are governed by the Federal Disposition Act and should be returned to the states where the MoneyGram items were purchased.

Under the terms of this week’s agreement, Delaware will transfer more than $102 million of the property that MoneyGram reported to the state from 2011 to 2017 to the coalition of states based on each monetary instrument’s place of purchase. Virginia will assume custody of its portion of the settlement and the responsibility to pay any claims for the property, according to the release.

“We stood firm in our fight and the Supreme Court agreed with us,” Miyares said. “I’m proud of this coalition’s efforts to bring this issue to a close, and my office’s work to secure these funds for Virginians.”

Delaware had argued it should keep the funding because MoneyGram is incorporated in the state.

“In the context of tangible property, the escheatment rule is straightforward: The State in which the abandoned property is located has the power to take custody of it,” the court ruling states. “But determining which State has the power to escheat intangible property, which has no physical location, can be complicated, as multiple States may have arguable claims.”

A Miyares spokesperson said Virginians who are seeking to file a claim should visit https://moneygramremission.com/

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com

Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, will be in Newport News on Labor Day, a spokesperson for the Harris presidential campaign confirmed this week. No other details were provided.

Emhoff has helped his wife’s campaign since she replaced President Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket last month.

“This is only the beginning. I promise you this: we are going to do the work, fight hard, and win,” Emhoff wrote Wednesday on social media, alongside a video of himself and Harris embracing onstage at last week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Though information about Emhoff’s Newport News trip has not been released, there’s at least one notable political event slated for Monday.

Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Newport News, will hold his annual Labor Day cookout — a longstanding tradition that often draws federal and local legislators. In a release this week, Scott said he will be hosting several “special guests” this year, including U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine.

“As we all know, the stakes could not be higher for the election this November,” Scott said. “My Annual Labor Day Cookout provides a platform for voters to engage with political candidates seeking office in Hampton Roads and throughout the Commonwealth before casting a ballot this fall.”

Gwen Walz, wife of Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, also will visit Virginia soon. She will headline an “Educators for Harris-Walz” event Friday in Manassas, according to a campaign news release.

A Roanoke College poll released Aug. 20 found the Harris campaign is slightly leading former President Donald Trump in Virginia. Harris had a three-point lead (47% to 44%) over Trump in a head-to-head matchup in the commonwealth, and a similar lead (45% to 42%) when other candidates were included.

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com

As he approached 30 years in public service, Kaine said he took time to reflect before seeking another term in the Senate. He had already served as a city councilman, mayor, lieutenant governor, governor and Virginia senator for two terms. And in 2016, he was Democrat Hillary Clinton’s running mate in her bid for the White House.

Maybe it was time for a new chapter?

“I really grappled with what was the right answer,” he said. “I wanted to do either (decision) whole-heartedly.”

Kaine, 66, ultimately concluded this wasn’t the right time to step away. He is running for his third Senate term and faces Republican political newcomer Hung Cao, who has former President Donald Trump’s support. During a Monday interview with The Virginian-Pilot, Kaine discussed the concerns that kept him in politics and shared his thoughts on this year’s unprecedented presidential election.

“It’s been a whipsaw of a two months,” he said.

This summer was marked by political upheaval. President Joe Biden’s debate performance in June caused panic among some Democrats and sowed divisions within the party about whether the 81-year old should halt his reelection bid. A gunman attempted to assassinate Trump at a campaign rally just two weeks later.

Kaine described the debate as painful, but said he understood why the president wasn’t pressured to drop out sooner.

“President Biden did a great job at the State of the Union,” he said. “Not only was the speech great but he stayed in the chamber visiting with everybody … I don’t think anybody was in a position before June 27 to say ‘Hey, we’ve got to go a different direction.’ ”

Kaine, however, noted presidential debates are typically held in September or October. He suspects Biden’s campaign may have offered to debate earlier this year to ensure there would be time to change candidates if problems arose.

Kaine, who never added his voice to the public chorus calling on Biden to step aside, said his gut told him the president would make the right call. Biden later withdrew from the race in July and was replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris.

Kaine said Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are off to a strong start and have unified the party. But he’s still expecting a tight race to the White House.

Explaining that economic issues are a priority for most voters, he urged the candidates to tout the Biden administration’s record on infrastructure, job creation and new business registrations.

“Democracy and freedom are good (campaign themes) but put the economy in and have there be three pillars,” he said. “The Republican economic message is so simple and straightforward, cut taxes and cut regulation and they’ve had that as the theme since Reagan. The Democrats never had a simple theme, so how about one that takes advantage of the Biden-Harris accomplishments — Make, Build, Grow?”

As for his own campaign, Kaine said he isn’t taking anything for granted. But if reelected, he hopes to focus on “unfinished business” related to immigration reform. It’s a heated issue, but he sees reasons to hope for a bipartisan solution.

“The unemployment rate in this country is low and the birth rate is low,” he said. “We are not going to meet the needs of the shipbuilding industry or hospitals or hotels without a workforce-based immigration reform bill.”

Kaine, who was governor during the 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech, said he also has more work to do on firearms. He wants to continue pushing for measures, such as magazine limitations and universal background checks, aimed at reducing gun violence.

Strengthening alliances abroad would be another priority, he said. Kaine co-sponsored legislation last year, which was passed as part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act, to prohibit any president from withdrawing from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization without congressional approval.

“It’s the one thing that China and Russia never really have had, although you see them realizing as they’re watching what’s going on in Ukraine that they better be closer together because NATO and other alliances like that are such a value add for the democracies,” he said.

“I really feel like more work in the diplomacy space to strengthen alliances both for military and other cooperations is something I’m really excited to be (a part of) in the future.”

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com

“I am very interested in this topic simply because Norfolk historically has been the very core and center of redlining and displacement,” said Del. Bonita Anthony, a Norfolk Democrat. “My expectation is for us to gather as much information as we can and to look at overarching policies that the General Assembly can put in place to make sure we don’t repeat history.”

The commission consists of state legislators and civilian members. It was formed following a project examining the issue through a partnership between ProPublica and the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism. The investigation focused on Christopher Newport University, which was established in Newport News in the 1960s on land taken from a Black community through the use of eminent domain.

Cassandra Newby-Alexander, a commission member and history professor at Norfolk State University, said she hoped the legislative panel would focus on reparative justice.

“The next step has to be to heal,” she said. “Healing doesn’t just come from acknowledgement. It comes from actual steps to repair because right now we are structurally still in a racist society.”

Hampton Roads has the highest percentage of segregated housing in the nation, Newby-Alexander explained.

“We still see disparities in funding, even though our area is the second largest producing area in the commonwealth of Virginia,” she said.

Sen. Danny Diggs, R-Yorktown, noted that CNU and Newport News already are working to study the school’s past.

“They are making great progress and I certainly look forward to learning about our history and how we got to where we are at today,” he said.

The city and CNU created their own joint task force in January to research decisions that led to placing the university in the Shoe Lane neighborhood. Its mission statement says it seeks to acknowledge the past, preserve the Shoe Lane neighborhood’s heritage and pave the way for equitable strategies moving forward.

The commission also heard from Brandi Kellam, a reporter who led the initial investigation. Kellam said there are only five homes remaining from the Shoe Lane neighborhood.

“This is not just a local Newport News issue, not just a city council issue, not just a college issue,” she said. “This is a collective, systemic dismantling of a community by several parties in power across the state of Virginia.”

Kellam highlighted several other examples. She said Lambert’s Point in Norfolk was leveled in the 1960s and ’70s to make room for a new branch of the College of William & Mary, which later turned into Old Dominion University. Lambert’s Point was previously a middle class Black community. The move displaced more than 150 families.

The University of Virginia, meanwhile, wiped out a Black community and business district called Vinegar Hill when the school needed more room for its student population in the 1960s.

Kellam said residents valued their neighborhoods and tried to push back.

“Urban renewal is portrayed as a tool to revitalize dilapidated communities; blight was a very popular term used in the 1950s and ’60s,” she said. “But as you can see based on (our reporting), these were actually thriving Black communities.”

On Friday, CNU spokesperson Jim Hanchett said in an email that the university is communicating with the commission and monitoring its work.

“Christopher Newport University looks forward to working with the Commission on this important initiative,” he wrote.

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com

The poll was conducted between Aug. 12 and Aug. 16, nearly a month after President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race and endorsed Harris as his replacement. Roanoke’s Institute for Policy and Opinion Research interviewed 691 likely voters in Virginia.

The poll showed Harris with a three-point lead (47% to 44%) over Trump in a head-to-head matchup in the commonwealth, and a similar lead (45% to 42%) when other candidates are included. Nearly four in five poll participants said they were very certain about their choice. The survey has a weighted margin of error of 4.5%.

The previous poll in May showed Trump and Biden tied. This is the first Roanoke College poll including Harris as the Democratic party candidate.

“The switch from Biden to Harris made a difference in Virginia, but perhaps not as great as some may have thought,” Harry Wilson, the institute’s senior political analyst, said in a statement. “The news for Harris is certainly better than it was for Biden, but her three-point lead is still within the margin of error.”

“Both candidates are polling very well within their party, and there is a minuscule number of undecided voters,” Wilson continued. “The party bases remain important, as always. The number who say they will vote third party is declining, and those voters may well determine who wins in Virginia.”

But in the race for a U.S. Senate seat representing Virginia, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine continues to hold a strong lead over Republican challenger Hung Cao. The poll found nearly half of Virginians (49%) indicated they would vote for Kaine, with 38% supporting Cao.

Those surveyed identified the most important issues as the economy (48%), abortion (16%), immigration (15%), foreign affairs (6%) and crime (4%).

The poll indicates Virginians have mixed reactions to both vice presidential candidates. When asked about Harris’ running mate Tim Walz, respondents reported being enthusiastic (25%), satisfied (27%), dissatisfied (30%), angry (14%) and unsure (4%).

When asked about Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance, respondents reported being enthusiastic (20%), satisfied (27%), dissatisfied (32%), angry (18%) and unsure (3%).

It additionally offered good news for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The majority (59%) of those surveyed said they approve of his job performance — the highest approval rating the governor has received from any Roanoke College poll.

Of the 691 interviews completed for the poll, 331 came from random telephone calls and texts to Virginians and 360 were drawn from a proprietary online panel of Virginians. Quotas were used to ensure that different regions of the commonwealth were proportionately represented in the poll, according to a news release from the institute. The data were statistically weighted for gender, race and age.

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com 

“No one cares about us but us,” said Cao, a retired Navy veteran. “We need to take care of veterans now.”

Cao, who is facing off against Democratic incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine, was addressing a few dozen attendees at VFW Post 4809. He said more money should be given to support veterans struggling with homelessness or post traumatic stress disorder but asserted that funding was instead used to support immigrants.

“We could take care of them but instead they’re taking a billion dollars a day and paying it to illegal aliens to house them and feed them and give them a free cellphone,” he said. “Are we out of people to help in the United States (to the point) that we need to import people in?”

Cao criticized the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago and called for an end to “endless wars.” He said the military has been a “punching bag” for too long and that society was demonizing the type of young men and women needed to fight wars.

If elected, Cao added that he would respect state rights.

“What we don’t want is for a senator from California or a congressman from Idaho making rules and laws for Virginians,” he said, as the crowd applauded.

After the event, Cao discussed his campaign with a gaggle with reporters. He said he recently agreed to debate Kaine because they reached an understanding.

“We were always going to debate; we finally came to an agreement,” he said. “We don’t just do whatever Tim Kaine wants to do.”

The debate is slated for Oct. 2 at Norfolk State University in Norfolk. Cao was unsure whether he would agree to any additional debates.

“Right now that’s the only thing we have on the books,” he said.

Cao previously declined to debate Kaine. The Virginia Bar Association announced last month it had canceled its debate — a longstanding tradition — at the Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs after Cao would not commit to participating.

Kaine’s campaign put out a statement Monday indicating two other events scheduled in September, a debate and forum, were canceled after the Cao campaign informed them that he refused to participate.

Cao also addressed his harsh remarks about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The candidate appeared to criticize NATO employees during a May campaign event in Richmond.

“They are freaking lazy,” Cao said in an audio recording provided to The Virginian-Pilot. “They just don’t do (expletive). They don’t do anything.”

Cao said Monday that he was referring to the organization as a whole, not individual staff members, and doubled down on his comment.

“NATO stands for Needs Americans to Operate,” he said. “If you want to see a comedy show, put a German and an Italian officer together and they will fight like cats and dogs.”

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com

“There is no single policy, no magic wand; it is in fact a comprehensive collection of a broad base of initiatives and partners,” said Youngkin, speaking at a news conference in Richmond. “No one can sit on the sidelines and act like one thing will solve this.”

Youngkin identified several factors — jobs, housing, health care, relationships, mental health and substance abuse treatment  — that help those leaving prison rebuild their lives and prevent reoffending.

“(These are) support mechanisms that when they come together fundamentally change success,” he said. “Rather than waiting until someone fails, let’s go to work and make sure that they have access and support to these critical success factors.”

The governor explained his order formalizes work that started in April 2023 when he asked the state’s chief transformation officer to create a cross agency effort to improve reentry outcomes, such as employment referrals from Virginia Works and pre-release coordination with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.

The order outlines more than a dozen objectives.

Many are intended to expand educational opportunities, including strategizing with Virginia’s Information Technology Agency to improve remote learning opportunities for those who are incarcerated and working with the State Council of Higher Education and the Virginia Community College System to increase the use of Pell Grants. The Pell Grant is a form of need-based federal financial aid that helps pay for various college costs.

Other objectives are aimed at improving employment support services. The executive order directs the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management to implement hiring practices in state government that are “friendly” to those transitioning back to community life and to encourage the business community into the “second chance hiring ecosystem.”

In a news release Thursday, Jason Miyares said such efforts were crucial for the entire community.

“Employment for returning citizens is more than just a second chance — it’s a cornerstone of public safety and community well-being,” Virginia’s attorney general said. “We must continue to improve the re-entry process, because effective re-entry is not just a matter of redemption — it’s essential in keeping Virginia safe and strong.”

The governor’s order additionally instructs the Virginia Department of Social Services to designate a statewide reentry coordinator to collaborate with social services to increase benefit enrollment success. It further directs his administration to form a task force, dubbed “Stand Tall, Stay Strong, Succeed Together,” comprised of legislators, law enforcement, advocacy groups and faith-based organizations that will meet every three months and review re-entry progress.

First Lady Suzanne Youngkin shared a passage from scripture.

“Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison and for those who have been mistreated, know and feel as if you yourselves were suffering,” she said. “We are with you, we are for you, and we are so thrilled that we are all on this magical journey together.”

Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, took to social media Thursday and called the initiative a “good first step.” But he criticized the governor for his record on restoring voting rights to people who have served time in prison.

“(This) ignores one strategy that has been studied and proven that reduces recidivism that HE rescinded — AUTOMATIC RESTORATION OF VOTING RIGHTS,” Surovell wrote on X.

Those with a felony conviction automatically lose the right to vote in Virginia. The only way to get it back is to receive approval from the governor. The three previous administrations pushed to streamline the process, but Youngkin came under fire last year for quietly implementing a new policy that considers each application individually on unspecified criteria.

This month, a federal court rejected a lawsuit that asserted the governor’s policy violated the First Amendment rights of George Hawkins, a man who was twice denied the restoration of his voting rights by Youngkin.

The lawsuit compared it to being improperly denied a permit for making a public speech. The court appeared critical of Youngkin’s policy, but found a permit for making a speech involves exercising an existing right, while Hawkins was seeking to reestablish a lost right, and subsequently threw the lawsuit out, The Washington Post reported.

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com