Ballot Races
| Virginia Governor | |
|---|---|
| Ed Gillespie (R): | 44.97% |
| Cliff Hyra (L): | 1.07% |
| Ralph Northam (D): | 53.90% |
| Other: | 0.05% |
| Virginia Lt. Governor | |
|---|---|
| Justin Fairfax (D): | 52.72% |
| Jill Vogel (R): | 47.18% |
| Other: | 0.09% |
| Virginia Atty. General | |
|---|---|
| John Adams (R): | 46.56% |
| Mark Herring (D): | 53.34% |
| Other: | 0.10% |
| Virginia House, 87th | |
|---|---|
| John Bell (D): | 61.73% |
| Subba Kolla (R): | 38.04% |
| Other: | 0.22% |
Ballot Issues
| Loudoun Safety Bonds | |
|---|---|
| Yes: | 75.16% |
| No: | 24.84% |
| Loudoun School Bonds | |
|---|---|
| Yes: | 73.60% |
| No: | 26.40% |
- November 7, 2017, 6:30 p.m.: Off on a Tangent election coverage is getting started. Stay tuned! The polls close at 7 p.m. Anybody in line at that time will still be permitted to vote. It usually takes about an hour for precincts to begin reporting results.
- 6:47 p.m.: As always, Off on a Tangent will be providing live returns from the Virginia Department of Elections in every election we are following. We will declare winners using our own proprietary method, which relies on official returns, exit polling (when available), and media calls.
- 7:00 p.m.: The polls in Virginia are now officially closed (though anybody who was in line before 7 p.m. will still be able to vote). Results usually begin to trickle-in within an hour.
- 7:15 p.m.: Results are just now starting to trickle in and will be appearing in our result chart within the next few minutes.
- 7:21 p.m.: There is a bug in our ‘precincts reporting,’ which causes them to display as zero even though some precincts are in. I’m investigating. The actual results are accurate based on data from the Virginia Department of Elections.
- 7:34 p.m.: The ‘precincts reporting’ issue is now corrected, and the values will update automatically with the next refresh.
- 7:51 p.m.: Off on a Tangent call: The Loudoun County public safety bond referendum has passed.
- 7:54 p.m.: Off on a Tangent call: The Loudoun County school bond referendum has passed.
- 8:00 p.m.: Media outlets are calling the New Jersey gubernatorial race for Phil Murphy (D).
- 8:06 p.m.: Off on a Tangent call: John Bell (D) has been reelected to represent the 87th District in the Virginia House of Delegates.
- 8:20 p.m.: Numerous media outlets have called the Virginia gubernatorial race for Ralph Northam (D). Off on a Tangent is not yet prepared to make a call in this race.
- 8:25 p.m.: Off on a Tangent call: Ralph Northam (D) has been elected Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
- 8:28 p.m.: Due to human-error, Ed Gillespie (R) was briefly labeled as the winner in my results chart. This has been corrected. Thanks to reader Allen for bringing this to my attention.
- 8:56 p.m.: The races for Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General remain too close to call. It seems increasingly likely that the Democratic Party candidates will win in both races, but we are not yet confident enough to make a formal call.
- 9:06 p.m.: Off on a Tangent call: Mark Herring (D) has been reelected Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
- 9:07 p.m.: Off on a Tangent call: Justin Fairfax (D) has been elected Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
- 9:09 p.m.: Ed Gillespie (R), speaking to his supporters, has conceded defeat in the race to serve as Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
- 9:53 p.m.: Attorney General Mark Herring (D), who has been reelected, is now making a victory speech to his supporters. He stated that his opponent, John Adams (R), has called him to concede defeat.
- 10:00 p.m.: Justin Fairfax (D), the lieutenant governor-elect, is now making a victory speech to his supporters.
- 10:25 p.m.: Ralph Northam (D), the governor-elect, began a victory speech to his supporters. He stated that his opponent, Ed Gillespie (R), had called him to concede defeat. Immediately thereafter, he was rushed off the stage by security officials as hecklers or protesters began a chant. After about a minute, as the hecklers were being removed, he returned to the lectern and continued his speech.
- November 08, 2017, 12:02 a.m.: Two precincts are still outstanding in the statewide races, so the results are not completely final yet. We will be signing-off for the night and ending our live coverage, but we’ll continue to update the results periodically until the final, certified results are in. Thank you for joining us!
- 10:30 a.m.: In addition to winning the three statewide offices, the Democratic Party also made significant gains in the House of Delegates. Although some races are still too close to call, we know that the Democrats have gained at least fourteen seats. The Republican Party will likely still hold a majority, but it will be significantly diminished.
- 4:31 p.m.: All precincts have reported, including all of those for the 87th District in the House of Delegates, although it will continue to show in my table as 96.6% reported. This is due to an unusual oddity with the design of our precincts here in Loudoun County, explained below.
- Loudoun’s voting precinct 114 (Dulles South) is partially in the 87th District and partially in the 67th District. The part of the precinct that is in the 87th, however, is the Dulles Airport property and adjacent industrial and commercial properties . . . there are no residential properties there (and thus, no voters). There are voters who live in precinct 114, but they are all in the 67th District.
- This means that every 87th District race will include a reported count of zero votes from precinct 114. And the Department of Elections dump that I’m using does not distinguish between an unreported precinct and a reported zero-vote precinct. This means my parser will keep counting 114 as an unreported precinct for the 87th District race.
- Unrelated technical improvements that I already have planned for next year’s election coverage will eliminate this issue . . . but for this year, it is what it is.
- 10:13 p.m.: Results are now very close to final, but each local electoral board must still review and record any valid provisional ballots. Then, after all local boards have completed their work, the Virginia State Board of Elections will review and certify the final statewide tallies. I will continue to periodically update the results until the final, certified results are available.
- November 10, 2017, 4:02 p.m.: An update on the breakdown of the Virginia House of Delegates: Before this election, the breakdown was 66-34 with Republicans in the majority. Currently, it looks like the new breakdown will likely be 51-49 with Republicans still in the majority, but having lost a whopping fifteen seats. There are still two races that are close enough to warrant recounts, so this may still shift slightly.
- November 14, 2017, 1:07 a.m.: The canvassing and review process continues. We expect no significant changes, but will continue to update the results periodically until they are certified by the Virginia State Board of Elections.
- November 18, 2017, 2:56 p.m.: The Virginia State Board of Elections will meet to certify the election results on Monday, November 20. At that time, this post will be marked as final . . . however, due to expected recounts in three House of Delegates districts, there may be some very minor adjustments afterwards. It is expected that the results will be certified with a House breakdown of 51-49 with Republicans in the majority. It is possible that the recount process will still change this breakdown.
- November 20, 2017, 9:49 p.m.: We are now updated to the final, certified election results. This concludes our coverage. Thanks for tuning-in!