Offices up for election in November; Important dates

Staff Report

Locally on Nov. 4, community members will be voting for two seats on Floyd Town Council and mayor of Floyd, two representatives for the Board of Supervisors (Indian Valley and Courthouse), and two seats on the Floyd County Public School Board (Indian Valley and Courthouse). 

Incumbent Mayor Will Griffin is running unopposed for another term in the town election, and the Town Council seats held by Chris Bond and Bruce Turner, both of whom are running to keep their positions, are also up for re-election.

Lisa Thompson has filed to fill one of the positions. 

Jerry Boothe has filed to retain his seat representing the Courthouse District on the county’s Board of Supervisors, and Walter Phillips has filed to fill the Indian Valley seat, currently held by Kalinda Bechtold. 

Darren Marshall of Indian Valley is running as a write-in candidate to fill the seat. 

Both Gene Bishop, who represents Indian Valley on the School Board, and Deborah Snellings, who represents the Courthouse District, are unopposed in their campaigns to keep their seats. 

State offices on this year’s ballot are Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General and the House of Delegates Representative for District 47 (which includes Floyd, Carroll, Patrick and part of Henry counties, as well as the City of Galax). 

Incumbent House of Delegates Rep. Wren Williams (R) is running to retain his position, and he is opposed by Yvonne Rorrer (D). Both are residents of Patrick County. 

Jason Miyares (R) is the incumbent Attorney General, who has held the position since 2021, and his opponent is Jerrauld “Jay” Jones (D), a former House of Delegates Representative of District 89 in the eastern part of the state. 

The candidates for Lt. Governor are John Reid (R) and Ghazala Hashmi (D), both of whom reside in the Richmond area. 

Candidates for Governor include current Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears and Abigail Spanberger, former representative of Virginia's 7th Congressional District.

Important dates

The Floyd County Electoral Board will meet in the Town of Floyd Community Room at 203 E. Oxford St. at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 21. With questions regarding the meeting, call (540) 745-9350.

 Early voting for the Nov. 4 General Election begins on Sept. 19 and ends at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1. Voters can cast their ballots at the Floyd County Courthouse (100 E. Main St.) from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and the two Saturdays before Election Day (Oct. 25 and Nov. 1). 

The Registrar’s Office will be closed on Oct. 13 for Columbus Day. 

Oct. 24 is the last day to register to vote in the 2025 election, and it is the last day to request an absentee ballot through the mail. 

On Nov. 4, polls are open from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m., and all voters must use their assigned precincts (not the Registrar’s Office).

Polling place and registration information can be found and updated online at www.elections.virginia.gov.

An approved form of identification must be presented in order to vote. Those include: 

• Voter confirmation documents
• DMV-issued driver’s license or ID card (current or expired)
• Employer-issued photo ID (valid)
• U.S. Passport (valid) 
• Student ID issued by a state college/university/high school (valid)
• Student photo ID issued by a U.S. college or university (valid)
• U.S. Military ID (valid) 
• State Voter Photo ID Card
• Original or copy of any current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government documents with your name and address (within the past 12 months)

Voter rights in the Department of Elections Voter Pocket Guide include: 

• Vote if you are in line by 7 p.m. on Election Day when the polls close.
• Ask for a new ballot if you want to change your vote before you cast it.
• Vote a provisional ballot if your name doesn't appear on the voter list or you forgot to bring an acceptable ID (and refuse to sign an ID Confirmation Statement).