CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — Rick West appears to have defeated Don Carey to return as mayor of Chesapeake, with 98% of precincts reporting.

Early voting and mailed absentee votes have yet to be counted in Chesapeake, according to the state department of elections, but West had 56.2% of the vote to Carey’s 43.8%.

For City Council, with nine candidates running for three spots, the top three vote getters as of 3 a.m. are Debbie Ritter (16.34%), Les Smith Jr. (15.81%) and Pat King (15.70%). Jeff Jefferies Jr. had 15.07%, Eric Wray II 13.45% and Reagan Davis 11.96%.

In the race for School Board, 10 candidates were running for four spots, with Angie Swygert (13.66%), Norman Pool (12.22%), Malia Huddle (11.94%) and Elijah Colon (11.52%) currently ahead as of 3 a.m., with Daniel Stahler (10.91%) also receiving at least 10% of the vote.

An ordinance to bring back curbside recycling in the city appears to have been voted down, 62.2% to 37.8%.

Mayor, city council and school board races are all on the ballot this election in Chesapeake, as well as an ordinance on bringing back curbside recycling in the city.

Polls in Virginia close at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5. Voters in line by 7 p.m. will be able to vote. After the polls close, as results are tabulated, they will be updated below.

Ballots will be the same for Chesapeake voters, except for one race. Voters in the northern end of the city, in Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District, will pick between Rep. Bobby Scott and Republican challenger John Sitka III.

Here’s the sample of that ballot:

Chesapeake sample ballot for 3rd DistrictDownload

Meanwhile voters in the southern end of Chesapeake will get to vote in one of the more competitive U.S. House races in the country. Incumbent Republican Jen Kiggans was leading Democrat Missy Cotter Smasal by just 1 point in the latest polling from Christopher Newport University.

Chesapeake sample ballot 2nd DistrictDownload

Otherwise, the ballots have the same races. Here’s the rundown of who’s running.

Mayor

The big local race comes down to incumbent Mayor Rick West and Councilman Don Carey III. West is endorsed by the Republican Party. Carey, who was endorsed by Republicans in the past, has been endorsed by the local Democratic Party for this election.

WAVY’s Brett Hall looked into who’s been funding ads in the race, and sat down for in-depth interviews with both candidates.

You can also watch the full videos on Carey and West’s candidate profile pages.

City Council

Nine candidates are running for city council, and you can vote for no more than three candidates. Robert Ike Jr. and Debbie Ritter are currently on council.

School board

Chesapeake’s school board members are elected at-large and represent the whole city. Voters can select no more than four candidates during this election, out of 10 total. Click on each candidate’s name for their profile.

Curbside recycling

Curbside recycling has been a big issue in Chesapeake ever since the city opted to end its curbside recycling program back in 2022. The measure on this year’s ballot is an advisory referendum. That means it’s non-binding and more like an official poll of residents. City leaders will then use the results to inform a future vote on the issue.

President and U.S. Senate

In addition to the big race for president, voters will also pick who’ll take one of Virginia’s two U.S. Senate seats. Incumbent Democrat Tim Kaine is facing off against Republican Hung Cao. They had an exclusive debate in early October, hosted by WAVY.

Complete Coverage: Virginia Senate Debate

Constitutional Amendment

A proposed constitutional amendment will also be voted on statewide in this election. The ballot question is:

Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended so that the tax exemption that is currently available to the surviving spouses of soldiers killed in action is also available to the surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty?

To check out your sample ballot and more information, visit Chesapeake’s election information page.

Voting on Election Day

Polls are open in Virginia from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Anyone in line by 7 p.m. on Election Day will be able to vote. Accessible and curbside voting is available by request.

Be sure to bring an eligible ID with you when you show up at your assigned polling place. You can look up your polling location at this link.

Voter Resources

Virginia is an open primary state, meaning voters don’t have to be registered with a party ahead of time to participate in that party’s primary. Though they will have to pick one party’s ballot when they do go to vote. Those will also include races for any nonpartisan local positions.

Who can vote?

To register to vote in Virginia, you must meet these criteria, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.

  • Be a resident of Virginia (a person who has come to Virginia for temporary purposes and intends to return to another state is not considered a resident for voting purposes).
  • Be a U. S. Citizen.
  • Be 18 years old (any person who is 17 years old and will be eighteen years of age at the next general election shall be permitted to register in advance and also vote in any intervening primary or special election).
  • Not be registered and plan to vote in another state.
  • Not currently declared mentally incompetent by a court of law.
  • If convicted of a felony, your right to vote must have been restored.

Those without a valid Virginia Driver’s license or state ID can still vote by signing an ID statement affirming their identity or vote via provisional ballot.

For instructions to register to vote and to register, click here.