By Hadley Harbison and Valentina Nunez
More than 14,000 Rockbridge-area voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s mid-term elections, the first general election since the county consolidated the number of precincts from 17 to 13. Those totals include more than 6,000 people who took advantage of early voting.
There are 26,253 registered voters in the region, with 17,346 in Rockbridge County, 4,302 in Lexington, and 4,605 in Buena Vista. Last year, 14,509 people voted in the general election, while 18,689 voted in 2024, a presidential election year.
This year, some voters will find that their precincts have changed location. The Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors voted in April to approve an ordinance that would consolidate the number of voting precincts.
Voter cards have been mailed to all registered voters with the updated address of their precincts.
All county voting locations are now at Rockbridge schools.
This change is intended to reduce election costs and increase access, as school buildings better comply with Americans with Disabilities Act standards, according to Rockbridge County officials. Voter Registrar Sheila Hall has said she does not believe the consolidation of precincts will affect voter turnout because all voters have been notified by mail and through a newspaper advertisement.
The number of early voters in Rockbridge County surpassed previous years, with over 3,500 votes cast by last week, Hall said.
One voter said she was brought to the polls because she wanted to support Democrat Beth Macy in her challenge to U.S. Rep. Ben Cline, a Republican.
“I believe we need a change in our Congress,” said Carolyn Phillips, of Lexington. “It is definitely a repudiation of Donald Trump’s policies.”
Another voter said he wanted to support the state constitutional amendments that would expand abortion rights, permit same-sex marriage, and restore voting rights for felons.
“The ballot resolutions, particularly regarding same-sex marriage and abortion are really contentious issues and is something that needs to be settled once and for all in the state of Virginia,” said John Paul Hammond, a Washington and Lee University senior.
In the previous presidential midterm election, in 2022, 9,027 people voted in Rockbridge County. That included 1,940 early voters in Rockbridge County, according to the Virginia Department of Elections. In Buena Vista, there were 1,612 votes cast, with 408 early votes.
In the 2024 presidential election, there were 18,689 total votes cast in the area, including 12,893 in Rockbridge County, 2,885 in Buena Vista and 2,911 in Lexington.
In the 2025 governor’s race, 14,509 people voted in the area, including 10,198 in Rockbridge County, 2,129 in Buena Vista and 2,182 in Lexington.