Virginia elections, 2015

| Virginia's 2015 elections

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School boards • Candidate ballot access |

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2016 →

<- 2014

The state of Virginia held elections in 2015.

Below are the dates of note:[1] | 2015 elections and events in Virginia.

Voter registration deadline for primary election  | May 18, 2015
Deadline to request an absentee ballot for the primary election by mail  | June 2, 2015
Deadline to request an absentee ballot for the primary election in person  | June 6, 2015
Primary election  | June 9, 2015
Voter registration deadline for general election  | October 13, 2015
Deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail  | October 27, 2015
Deadline to request an absentee ballot in person  | October 31, 2015
General election  | November 3, 2015

##  Races to watch[edit]

* School Boards
* More information available here: Virginia school board elections, 2015

## Elections by type[edit]

### School boards[edit]

See also: School board elections, 2015 and Virginia school board elections, 2015

A total of 20 Virginia school districts among America's largest school districts by enrollment held elections for 103 seats on November 3, 2015. While all Virginia school board elections are nonpartisan by law, observers have noted that partisanship still has a strong influence in some districts. Fairfax County Public Schools is one example of such a school district.[2][3]

Prior to 1995, Virginia school board members were appointed. State law was changed, however, to allow localities to decide between elected and appointed boards.[2] The statute reads:

“  | If a majority of the qualified voters voting in such referendum vote in favor of changing the method of selecting school board members to direct election by the voters, then the members of the school board shall be elected by popular vote. Elections of school board members in a county, city, or town shall be held to coincide with the elections for members of the governing body of the county, city, or town at the regular general election in November or the regular general election in May, as the case may be.[4] | ”

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—Code of Virginia § 22.1-57.3. (2014)[5]

Here are several quick facts about Virginia's school board elections in 2015:

* The largest school district by enrollment with an election in 2015 was Prince William County Public Schools with 83,865 K-12 students.
* The smallest school district by enrollment with an election in 2015 was Pittsylvania County Public Schools with 9,311 K-12 students.
* Fairfax County Public Schools had the most seats on the ballot in 2015 with 12 seats up for election.
* Arlington Public Schools had the fewest seats on the ballot in 2015 with one seat up for election.

The districts listed below served 475,304 K-12 students during the 2012-2013 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Click on the district names for more information on the district and its school board elections.

2015 Virginia School Board Elections

District  | Date  | Seats up for election  | Total board seats  | Student enrollment
Albemarle County Public Schools | 11/3/2015 | 5 | 7 | 13,263
Alexandria Public Schools | 11/3/2015 | 9 | 9 | 13,105
Arlington Public Schools | 11/3/2015 | 1 | 5 | 22,543
Augusta County Public Schools | 11/3/2015 | 7 | 7 | 10,755
Bedford County Public Schools | 11/3/2015 | 4 | 7 | 10,513
Chesterfield County Public Schools | 11/3/2015 | 5 | 5 | 58,859
Fairfax County Public Schools | 11/3/2015 | 12 | 12 | 180,616
Fauquier County Public Schools | 11/3/2015 | 5 | 5 | 11,065
Frederick County Public Schools | 11/3/2015 | 4 | 7 | 13,163
Henrico County Public Schools | 11/3/2015 | 5 | 5 | 50,083
Loudoun County Public Schools | 11/3/2015 | 9 | 9 | 68,205
Montgomery County Public Schools | 11/3/2015 | 4 | 7 | 9,742
Pittsylvania County Public Schools | 11/3/2015 | 4 | 7 | 9,311
Prince William County Public Schools | 11/3/2015 | 8 | 8 | 83,865
Roanoke County Public Schools | 11/3/2015 | 3 | 5 | 14,369
Rockingham County Public Schools | 11/3/2015 | 3 | 5 | 11,787
Spotsylvania County Public Schools | 11/3/2015 | 4 | 7 | 23,768
Stafford County Public Schools | 11/3/2015 | 3 | 7 | 27,463
Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools | 11/3/2015 | 3 | 7 | 11,024
York County School Division | 11/3/2015 | 5 | 5 | 12,421

### State legislatures[edit]

See also Virginia State Senate elections, 2015 and Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2015

## Voting information[edit]

Links related to voting in Virginia:

* For an overview and information on deadlines and updates to voting laws, please visit voting in Virginia.
* For information on ballot access and signature requirements, please visit our page on ballot access requirements for political candidates in Virginia.
* For information about absentee eligibility and military and overseas voting, please visit our absentee voting by state page.
* For information on early voting (if applicable), please visit our page on early voting by state.
* For information on online voter registration (if applicable), please visit our page on online voter registration in the 50 states.

### Primary information[edit]

* A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Virginia utilizes an open primary process in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[6]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

## Historical voter turnout[edit]

### 2014[edit]

In 2014, Virginia saw 36.6 percent of eligible voters turn out to vote in the November general election.[7]

### 2012[edit]

In 2012, Virginia saw 66.6 percent of eligible voters turn out to vote in the November general election.[8]

## See also[edit]

* Elections portal
* Elections and events calendar
* Voter guides
* State Blue Books
* State Poll Opening and Closing Times
* State Election Result Canvassing
* State voter ID laws
* Voting in Virginia
* Absentee voting
* Early voting
* Online voter registration
* Election terms and definitions

## Recent news[edit]

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Virginia + elections + 2015"

Virginia elections news feed

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Elections, "2015 November Election Calendar," accessed January 2, 2015
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Washington Post, "Fairfax County School Board election uniquely partisan," September 7, 2011
3. ↑ American School Board Journal, "Politics and School Board Races," March 2012
4. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
5. ↑ Code of Virginia, "§ 22.1-57.3. Election of school board members; election of tie breaker.," accessed Juen 24, 2015
6. ↑ Virginia Legislative Information System, "Va. Code § 24.2–530," accessed March 23, 2026
7. ↑ United States Election Project, "2014 November General Election Turnout Rates," accessed January 2, 2015
8. ↑ United States Election Project, "2012 November General Election Turnout Rates," accessed January 2, 2015

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