PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Incumbent Shannon Glover held off Vice Mayor Lisa Lucas-Burke and another challenger to win reelection as Portsmouth’s mayor, with all of the city’s precincts reporting.
Glover had 49.9% of the vote to Lisa Lucas-Burke’s 40.61% and Harold Carothers III’s 9.06% to win a second term as mayor.
“We started this journey almost a year ago, and to finally get to this point where everything has been done, and now we can sit down and really get our mind on how we can move forward, that’s where I am right now,” Glover said.
The race was close throughout the evening, but in the end, Glover won another term.
“We knew that the race was going to be competitive,” Glover said. “My opponent is from the area, she grew up here, she has ties, but at the end of the day, it’s about our community. It’s about moving our community forward [with] one voice, and one message, and that’s the city of Portsmouth and its citizens are on the rise.”
For City Council, with 11 people vying for three seats, Yolanda “Edmonds” Thomas led with 15.81% of the vote, while Kathryn “Kitty” Bryant has 12.36% and Bill Dodson Jr. has 11.88%. Incumbents De’Andre Barnes and Mark Whitaker, according to the vote totals, were trailing, in fourth and fifth place, respectively, with early votes, Election Day votes and absentee votes counted.
In a seven-person race for five school board seats, Lateacia Sessoms has 17.7%, Jackie Walker 15.53%, Klu Atkinson 13.87%, Arnette “Love” McSwain 13.38% and Irene Boone 13.33%. Two other candidates also had at least 13% of the vote — Kendall Bradshaw (13.05%) and Ingrid Whitaker (13.33%).
See election results below.
And unlike other cities where you might get a different ballot depending where you live, Portsmouth just has one citywide ballot.
Here’s the breakdown of the big local races:
Mayor
Incumbent Mayor Shannon Glover ran against Vice Mayor Lisa Lucas-Burke and Harold Carothers III, an automotive and electrical engineering technician.
You can read the candidate profiles with in-depth interview from all three candidates here:
City Council
Incumbent council members Mark Whitaker and De’Andre Barnes will try to hold onto their seats against a wave of challengers. Voters will pick three candidates from the list of 11:
- Sharon Anderson
- De’Andre Barnes
- Kathryn Bryant
- William Dodson, Jr.
- Malinda Johnson
- Bruce LaLonde
- Mia Phillips
- Davy Smith III
- Yolanda Thomas
- Kelvin Turner
- Mark Whitaker
School Board
Voters will pick five candidates from the seven running for the at-large seats for Portsmouth’s school board:
- Arnette McSwain
- Irene Boone
- Jaclyn Walker
- Ingrid Whitaker
- LaKeesha Atkinson
- Lateacia Sessoms
- Kendall Bradshaw
Presidential, Senate and House races
In addition to the big race for president, there’s also the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Hung Cao, as well as the race for Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District. The seat has long been held for three decades by Rep. Bobby Scott. He’s running against Republican John Sitka III.
Cao and Kaine had a debate last month at Norfolk State University that was hosted by WAVY and its parent company, Nexstar. They also each recently did a “Cooking with the Candidates” segment on the Hampton Roads Show.
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?
Click here to read WAVY’s 2024 Voter Guide.
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
- Register to vote
- Check your registration status
- Find your local registrar’s office
- Election and Voter FAQ
- General Election presidential candidates
- US Senate race candidates
- US House of Representatives candidates
- List of local candidates by city and county
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.