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Patrick County supervisors decline to start early voting before 90‑day constitutional waiting period
Summary
The Patrick County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution Feb. 20 directing the General Registrar and Electoral Board not to begin early voting for a proposed constitutional amendment until April 16, 2026, asserting the 90‑day waiting period required under Article XII, Section 1 of the Virginia Constitution.
The Patrick County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 20 approved a resolution directing county election officials not to commence early voting on a proposed constitutional amendment until April 16, 2026, the date the board says marks the end of the 90‑day waiting period required by the Virginia Constitution. The resolution notes final passage of House Joint Resolution 4 occurred on Jan. 16, 2026 and that early voting had been scheduled to begin March 6, 2026.
Chair Andrew T. Overby framed the resolution as a constitutional safeguard, saying the General Assembly had "fast-track[ed] an unlawful amendment that threatens to disenfranchise citizens and consolidate partisan power." Board Member Jonathan Wood said he "did not think the elections should be rushed." On a motion by C. Clayton Kendrick, Jr., seconded by Jonathan Wood, the board voted unanimously to adopt the resolution; the minutes record Voting Aye: Steve Marshall, C. Clayton Kendrick, Jr., Jonathan Wood and Andrew T. Overby, with Rick Swink absent.
The text of the resolution cites Article XII, Section 1 of the Constitution of Virginia: "no proposed constitutional amendment shall be submitted to the voters sooner than ninety days after final passage by the General Assembly." It directs the General Registrar and Electoral Board not to commence early voting and states that "no County-owned facilities or County resources shall be made available to conduct early voting on the proposed constitutional amendment prior to April 16, 2026 unless and until a court of competent jurisdiction determines that such early voting is constitutionally permissible." The resolution also authorizes Tim Anderson to represent the Patrick County Board of Supervisors before any court concerning the resolution and directs that the resolution be transmitted to the Virginia State Board of Elections and the Office of the Attorney General.
The meeting, held at the Patrick County Veteran's Memorial Building in Stuart, was procedural and brief: after adopting the resolution the board declared the meeting adjourned until March 9, 2026.
