The Virginia presidential primaries are fast approaching, and many Woodgrove seniors will be able to vote for the first time. The primaries help decide each party’s nominee for the general election on November 5th.

Virginia traditionally hosts its primary on Super Tuesday, a day where most states hold their primaries. This year, it occurs on March 5, 2024, and all students have that day off from school due to schools being used as polling grounds. Seventeen year olds who will be eighteen when the presidential election is held in November can vote in the primaries.

The way primaries work is that states give out delegates based on the result of the primaries. A delegate is a person who’s vote represents the result of an area. In order to gain their party’s nomination, a candidate needs to receive a majority of delegates given out. The Democratic party gives out 3,979 delegates, while the Republican party gives out 2,429, so a Democratic candidate would need 1,990 delegates and a Republican candidate would need 1,215 delegates.

Both the Democratic and Republican parties are hosting their primaries on March 5, 2024. On the Democrat side, incumbent president Joe Biden is running virtually unopposed, as he holds 91 out of 91 pledged delegates so far. Representative Dean Phillips from Minnesota is still in the running, but he has yet to receive a delegate.

The field on the Republican side is a little more complicated. There are two main candidates still in the race, as former President Donald Trump holds 63 delegates compared to the 17 delegates held by former governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley. 

It is important to make your voice heard and fulfill your civic duty by voting. Students can register to vote at elections.virginia.gov.