Early voting kicks off in Virginia’s key special elections as reproductive rights take center stage • Virginia Mercury

Early voting began on Wednesday for two key special elections in Virginia’s General Assembly, with reproductive rights groups urging support for the Democratic nominees. 

Voters in House District 26 and Senate District 32, many of whom had just cast ballots in last month’s presidential and congressional elections, are now being called back to the polls.

“Voters who support reproductive rights, you cannot sit this one out,” Repro Rising Virginia Director Tarina Keene told attendees at a gathering in Ashburn Wednesday morning. 

Democratic control of Virginia’s House and Senate is seen as critical to advancing a proposed constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights. Securing both chambers would give Democrats, who currently hold a slim 21-19 edge in the Senate and a 51-48 majority in the House, a stronger position to push forward the amendment in a state where Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin maintains veto power.

While abortion is not strictly a partisan issue, it often divides lawmakers along partisan lines. During last year’s statewide General Assembly elections, many Republicans supported Youngkin’s proposal to restrict most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. In contrast, Democrats campaigned on preserving the state’s existing abortion laws, with a long-term goal of enshrining abortion protections in the state Constitution. 

After Sen. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Loudoun, was elected to Congress in November, Del. Kannan Srinivasan, D-Loudoun, secured the Democratic nomination to succeed him in the Virginia Senate. To fill Srinivasan’s seat in the House of Delegates, first-time candidate J.J. Singh earned the Democratic nomination, positioning himself as a fresh face in the party’s push to maintain its legislative majority. 

Residents of the 26th House District can cast their votes between now and Jan. 7, choosing between Singh and Republican challenger Ram Venkatachalam. Meanwhile, voters in Senate District 32 will decide  between Srinivasan and Republican Tumay Harding. 

Venkatachalam and Harding did not respond to requests for comment on their positions regarding abortion access as of publication, and Venkatachalam’s campaign website does not reference  reproductive health or abortion, leaving his stance on this issue unclear. 

Harding’s campaign website states that she believes life “begins at conception.” She also emphasizes the need for measures to support expecting parents and “reduce abortions.” Additionally, Harding acknowledges that most abortions later in pregnancy are already prohibited.

Under current Virginia law, abortions are allowed for any reason through the second trimester, which lasts until about 26 weeks of pregnancy. In the third trimester, abortions are only permitted with the approval of three doctors. A proposed constitutional amendment would ease that requirement, allowing a single doctor to authorize a third-trimester abortion if it is deemed necessary to protect the pregnant person’s life or mental health, or if the fetus is deemed non-viable.

With no universal definition of fetal viability — the point at which a fetus can survive outside of the womb — doctors typically assess it on a case-by-case basis. 

Less than 1% of abortions occur after 21 weeks of pregnancy, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some abortions that occur within the second or third trimester have been the result of severe fetal anomalies, low fetal viability, or stem from medical emergencies. 

As the only Southern state without strict abortion restrictions or a ban, Virginia has also become an important access point for people seeking abortions from neighboring states. 

“I cannot imagine what women are going through in those states, dealing with situations where politicians should not be interfering (and) should not be involved,” Srinivasan said. 

He and Singh also shared personal connections to reproductive healthcare laws.

Srinivasan shared a story about his wife, who was once told that her life would be at risk if she became pregnant. Singh, too, emphasized the importance of reproductive rights, especially for his young daughters. 

“I have two young daughters and I care about their access to reproductive health,” Singh said. “I don’t want politicians in the doctor’s offices with them as they make decisions about their own bodies.”