Richmond, Va – Early voting for Virginia’s Reproductive Freedom Amendment began on Friday, September 18. Virginians can vote early through October 31st and on Election Day on November 3rd.
Virginia is the last state in the South without an abortion ban or extreme restrictions on reproductive freedom, but right now, the Virginia Constitution does not recognize the right to reproductive healthcare, including abortion, birth control, and fertility care. That means that our freedom to access reproductive healthcare could change with the swipe of a politician’s pen. That’s why Virginians are so excited to vote YES on 1 to protect their right to reproductive freedom.
31,712 Virginia voters have already cast their ballots. That’s triple the amount of voters who turned out at this point in 2022.
“This moment is not about politics,” said Han Jones, Campaign Manager with the YES on 1 campaign. “This is about Virginians getting to have a say in their own constitution. It’s about them getting to protect their rights so they can live here knowing that their healthcare decisions will always be safe from political interference in the state they call their home.”
“As a woman it’s important to me that I protect my bodily autonomy,” said Deborah Denaud, VRF Volunteer Ambassador, when speaking to CBS19 outside of Charlottesville’s early vote location on September 18th. “As somebody with PMOS, I use birth control and I understand that if we do not protect [Question 1], then I may lose access to birth control.”
“It’s important to me that future generations don’t have to worry about not being able to get essential care where they live,” said Amanda Pittman, VRF storyteller, who voted early in Henrico on September 18th. “By casting my ballot today, I protected my rights, I protected their rights, and the rights of everybody coming up behind them. And I encourage you to do the same.”
Early Vote Weekend Campaign Updates:
This week, early voters across Virginia started receiving their first mail piece from the Yes On 1 campaign. Check it out!
As early voting approached, volunteers from all around the Commonwealth were moved to reach out to their fellow voters and make sure they had all the information they needed to vote Yes on 1.
As of this weekend, we have had supporters take action with the campaign across 65% of Virginia localities.
[map of localities where someone has taken action with the YES on 1 campaign]
Throughout the first weekend of early voting, close to 100 supporters knocked more than 4,000 doors across Richmond, Arlington, Charlottesville, Virginia Beach, Harrisonburg, Chesterfield, Prince William County, and Blacksburg.
[Virginia Beach]
[Blacksburg]
[Arlington]
[Virginia Beach]
Virginia is a Commonwealth made up of all different kinds of people, and most of those people agree that Question 1 is reasonable and includes important commonsense protections. It’s a simple measure that protects our freedom to make decisions around pregnancy – including birth control and abortion.
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Virginians for Reproductive Freedom is a coalition of Virginia families, doctors, nurses, and advocacy organizations who believe that all Virginians should be able to make decisions regarding their own reproductive healthcare, including abortion care, without government interference, and no one should be faced with criminal punishment for making these decisions or providing healthcare.