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King and Queen Electoral Board finalizes schedule, deadlines ahead of Aug. 4 primary
Summary
At its June 9 meeting, the King and Queen County Electoral Board approved its election calendar and operational preparations for the Aug. 4, 2026 Virginia primary, including L&A testing on June 12, early voting beginning June 18, registration and absentee application deadlines on July 24, training and post-election canvass dates.
Stuart Swilley, chair of the King and Queen County Electoral Board, called the board to order at 9:25 a.m. on June 9 and the board unanimously approved the minutes from its May 11 meeting.
Kristy Creech, the county’s general registrar, led the board through the calendar and operational preparations for the Virginia Statewide Primary on Aug. 4, 2026. She said Logic & Accuracy testing for voting equipment is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, June 12, in the Hearing Room of the General District Courthouse and that test ballots are ready for that session.
The registrar outlined early in-person voting plans: weekday hours will be Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. beginning Thursday, June 18; weekend hours include Sunday, July 19 (12:00 noon–5:00 p.m.), Saturday, July 25 (9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.), Sunday, July 26 (12:00 noon–5:00 p.m.), and the final day for early in-person voting on Saturday, Aug. 1 (9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.). All early in-person voting will be conducted at the Office of the General Registrar in King and Queen County.
The board recorded operational deadlines tied to the election timeline: the deadline to register to vote or update an existing registration is 5:00 p.m. Friday, July 24, 2026, and the deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is 5:00 p.m. that same day. The board also scheduled Officer of Election training for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 28, 2026, and set Ballot Pre-Processing Day 1 for 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 28.
Post-election processing was set as follows: Canvass Day 1 will be 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, and Canvass Day 2 will be 12:00 noon Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, both to take place in the King and Queen County Circuit Courtroom. Creech said she will notify the county Democratic and Republican party chairs of key test and canvass dates.
The board discussed two administration and compliance items. First, the Locality Election Security System (LESS) certification deadline for the locality is Friday, Aug. 28, 2026; Creech and Wade Murray will meet on Wednesday, June 17 to complete certification tasks. Second, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance survey is due Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026; the General Registrar and Chief Deputy Registrar will survey all five precincts and emergency back-up precinct sites on Monday, Aug. 24.
Creech briefed the board on voter-eligibility changes that followed the Jan. 22, 2026 O'Bannon v. King court decision. The decision, she said, traces to the 1870 Act of Congress concerning readmission of Virginia to the Union and affects how felony convictions are categorized for voting eligibility; the Virginia Department of Elections (ELECT) will work with general registrars to identify people not convicted of common-law felonies who may now be eligible to apply to register. Creech emphasized that affected individuals must apply to be registered and that ELECT and registrars will communicate weekly to identify and process applicants.
The board also discussed national and statewide concerns about timely U.S. Postal Service delivery and its implications for properly postmarked absentee ballots; a planned delay for implementing a legislative change on the deadline for receipt of absentee ballots was noted and awaits specific clarification.
On staffing, Creech informed the board that Chief Deputy Registrar Emma-Wade Davis will leave at the end of August to pursue cosmetology studies; the board reviewed staffing contingency options for the Office of the General Registrar.
The board set its next meeting for 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 14, 2026, to be held in the Circuit Court Hearing Room, noting that early voting will be in progress in the Registrar’s office that day. The regular meeting adjourned at 11:10 a.m.
