From the VA House Democratic Caucus:
ICYMI: VIRGINIA HOUSE AND SENATE DEMOCRATS HOST EVENTS ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH TO KICK OFF EARLY VOTE
RICHMOND, VA – This week, members of the General Assembly and candidates held press conferences at three different locations across the Commonwealth to mark the first day of early voting in Virginia. Democrats met in Northern Virginia, Virginia Beach and the greater-Richmond area to remind voters of the stakes of the 2023 elections and spread awareness of where and how to vote.
Voters across the Commonwealth can cast their vote early from now until November 4th or on Election Day November 7th. Voters interested in learning more about where and how to cast their ballot should visit iwillvote.com.
Highlights from the events include:
“The nation will be watching our elections in November as a barometer for the upcoming Presidential Election. I encourage everyone to get out and vote and to show the nation who we are,” said Democratic Candidate for House District 79 Rae Cousins at the kick-off event in Henrico on Thursday.
Senator Lamont Bagby, Chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus said at the same event, “All the great things [including early and absentee voting access] that you heard my friends and my future colleagues talk about today— we put in place when we had the majority.”
”We’ve got a big problem in the country. Guns have become the number one killer of teenagers and this has got to stop. The only way you’re going to stop this is to put the Democrats in charge in the House and Senate,” said Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw in Prince William County on Friday.
At the same event, House Democratic Caucus Leader Don Scott said, “We know what the Republicans will do. We don’t have to guess – they just did it in January. They introduced bills to roll back reproductive healthcare rights. We wouldn’t be voting today if certain [Republican] bills had passed. They introduced bills to roll back early voting. They introduced bills to make sure that they made it harder for voters to vote. That is what they have done. We have an opportunity here to make sure that we protect Virginians and make sure Virginia does not become Florida or Texas.”
“Elections matter here and, as a Marine, I didn’t serve so I could come back to my own country and have the rights of half of our population be stripped away. I will stand every single day and fight so that we have an economy that works for all,” said Joel Griffin, Democratic Candidate for Senate District 27 at Friday’s Prince William County Event.
Senator Aaron Rouse said at the kick-off event in Virginia Beach Friday, “Freedom for you to decide what to do with your body to make your own healthcare decisions, and for our women, that threat could not be more real than it is now.”
“We’re trying to keep the same rights that individuals have had for 40+ years. The other side is trying to ban those rights. I’m a retired Air Force Medical Professional. There was never ever in the time that I have taken care of patients around the world – from Kyrgyzstan to Guam to South Korea to Oklahoma — was there ever a politician in the room with a patient and a provider. Those decisions must remain with a patient and their provider,” said MSgt. (Ret.) Michael Feggans, Democratic Candidate for HD97, in Virginia Beach.
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The Virginia House Democratic Caucus is running a dynamic slate of smart, accomplished and trusted candidates who reflect the diversity and the culture of the Commonwealth. To learn more about our slate of candidates, visit the House Democratic Caucus website.
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