Virginia legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Virginia SB126: An Act to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-522 and 24.2-527 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; primary election; when filings to be made; extension for incumbents failure to file.
Status: Chaptered, April 22, 2026
Elections; primary election; when filings to be made; extension for incumbents failure to file. Provides that if an incumbent office holder fails to file the necessary paperwork to qualify to be on the ballot for a primary election for the office he holds by the deadline for filing such paperwork, then the deadline for such paperwork is extended by five days for any filer other than the incumbent. The bill also requires the State Board of Elections to notify state party chairman of the party of candidates filing for a primary to that such filings are available for pickup. Under current law the State Board is required to transmit such filings. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.
What the bill says
An Act to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-522 and 24.2-527 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; primary election; when filings to be made; extension for incumbents failure to file. [S 126] Approved April 22, 2026 1. That §§ 24.2-522 and 24.2-527 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows: § 24.2-522. When and to whom filings to be made. A. Declarations of candidacy, petitions, and receipts indicating the payment of filing fees shall be filed not earlier than noon of the ninety-second day and not later than 5:00 p.m. of the seventy-fifth day before the primary; however, i.
From the enrolled text, April 22, 2026:
An Act to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-522 and 24.2-527 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; primary election; when filings to be made; extension for incumbents failure to file. [S 126] Approved April 22, 2026 1. That §§ 24.2-522 and 24.2-527 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows: § 24.2-522. When and to whom filings to be made. A. Declarations of candidacy, petitions, and receipts indicating the payment of filing fees shall be filed not earlier than noon of the ninety-second day and not later than 5:00 p.m. of the seventy-fifth day before the primary; however, if the declaration of candidacy, petitions, and a receipt indicating the payment of any filing fees for an incumbent United States Senator, member of the United States House of Representatives, member of the Senate of Virginia or the House of Delegates, member of a local governing body, mayor, or constitutional officer are not filed by 5:00 p.m. on the seventy-fifth day before the primary election, or are filed but are subsequently withdrawn before 5:00 p.m. on the seventy-fifth day before the direct primary election, any person other than the person who was the incumbent on the seventy-fifth day shall have until 5:00 p.m. on the seventieth day before the election to file such documents for the respective elective …