Virginia State Capitol, Richmond. Photo: APK/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Virginia voters approved three amendments to the state constitution on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press, and Prince William County voted yes on all three by margins well above the statewide totals.
The amendments protect reproductive freedom, remove the ban on same-sex marriage from the constitution and automatically restore voting rights to people convicted of felonies once they are released from incarceration. The AP called Question 1 at 9:01 p.m., Question 2 at 9:31 p.m. and Question 3 at 9:34 p.m. All results are unofficial until they are certified.
Statewide, with all 133 localities reporting, Question 1 passed with 62.39 percent of the vote, Question 2 with 57.38 percent and Question 3 with 56.47 percent, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.
How Prince William voted
Unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections, as of about 9 a.m. Wednesday, with all 103 precincts reporting, show Prince William County voters approved Question 1 with 70.12 percent of the vote, or 125,455 yes votes to 53,466 no votes. Question 2 passed with 62.56 percent (112,046 to 67,047), and Question 3 passed with 65.34 percent (117,147 to 62,128).
Compared with the statewide results, Prince William ran about 7.7 percentage points higher on Question 1, 5.2 points higher on Question 2 and 8.9 points higher on Question 3.
Neighboring localities
Results in nearby localities also favored all three amendments. Manassas City and Manassas Park City both landed above the statewide figures, and Fredericksburg posted the highest yes share of the localities listed below on every question. Stafford County ran slightly below the statewide totals on all three.
Share voting yes | Question 1 | Question 2 | Question 3 |
Statewide (all 133 localities reporting) | 62.39% | 57.38% | 56.47% |
Prince William County | 70.12% | 62.56% | 65.34% |
Manassas City | 68.64% | 63.38% | 63.13% |
Manassas Park City | 74.98% | 66.47% | 68.18% |
Stafford County | 61.75% | 56.10% | 55.03% |
Fredericksburg City | 75.45% | 71.91% | 68.99% |
Source: unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections, Nov. 3, 2026 general election. Local results were first reported by Potomac Local News.
What the amendments do
Question 1, reproductive freedom. The amendment establishes a constitutional right to reproductive freedom, covering decisions about prenatal care, childbirth, contraception, abortion, miscarriage management and fertility care, while leaving room for limited regulation in the third trimester. Statewide, it passed with 2,181,685 yes votes to 1,315,441 no votes.
Question 2, marriage. The amendment replaces the 2006 language defining marriage as between one man and one woman with a guarantee that two adults can marry regardless of race, gender or sex. Same-sex couples have been able to marry in Virginia since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, so the change does not alter day-to-day law. It does guard against the possibility that the high court overturns that ruling. Statewide, the vote was 2,023,422 yes to 1,503,142 no.
Question 3, voting rights. The amendment automatically restores voting rights to people convicted of felonies after they are released from incarceration. Virginia has been among a handful of states where a felony conviction meant permanent loss of voting rights unless the governor restored them, though a federal court struck down that ban for most offenses earlier this year. Statewide, the vote was 1,988,437 yes to 1,532,732 no.
A long road to the ballot
Virginia requires a constitutional amendment to pass the General Assembly twice, before and after an election of the House of Delegates. Democrats in the legislature have pushed the reproductive freedom amendment since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. House Republicans defeated it in 2023, but the Democratic majorities passed it in 2025 and again in 2026 and sent it to voters, according to VPM.
Virginians for Reproductive Freedom, which backed a yes vote, spent about $3.7 million through Oct. 26, VPM reported. A coalition campaigning for no spent about $850,000.
according to FFXnow Gov. Abigail Spanberger praised voters for approving the amendments, calling the vote a step beyond Virginia’s earlier restrictions on marriage and voting.
What happens next
The reproductive freedom amendment still faces a court challenge. The Founding Freedoms Law Center, the legal arm of the Family Foundation, argues the ballot language was misleading and has asked Tazewell Circuit Court to block certification of the election results. A hearing is set for Nov. 13.
“The fight’s not over,” said Jessi Blakely, state director for Family Foundation Action, according to VPM.
Results remain unofficial while provisional and remaining absentee ballots are counted and until the State Board of Elections certifies them. The Gazette will update this story when official totals are available.
Like what you read? Get The Gazette.
The Woodbridge Gazette is independent, hyperlocal news for Prince William County and surrounding communities, free in your inbox every Monday. Subscribe here.
