“Today the majority of State Central Committee, which essentially acts as the elected board of directors for the Republican Party of Virginia, voted to remain neutral and abstain from taking a position on the 3 horrendous amendments that will be on your ballot this November,” Virginia Scope reported. “There is no doubt everyone in the room Saturday opposes the radical constitutional amendments,” First Congressional District SCC representative David Botkins said.
Republican Party of Virginia Chair Jeff Ryer clarified in an email to members that the State Central Committee did not vote to stay neutral but instead referred the issue of the three constitutional amendments to the Resolutions Committee by a 32-30 standing vote. The committee was instructed to consult local units and report back, with the matter possibly returning as soon as the June 13 meeting.
Virginia voters will decide the fate of three proposed constitutional amendments on November 3, 2026. These measures, advanced by the Democratic-majority General Assembly after passing in consecutive sessions, address marriage equality, reproductive rights, and voting rights restoration.
Supporters frame them as protections for fundamental freedoms, while opponents argue they represent significant policy shifts better left to legislation or the courts.
The first amendment would repeal an outdated 2006 ban in the state constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman—language rendered unenforceable by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell decision—and explicitly prohibit the state from denying marriage licenses to two adults on the basis of sex, gender, or race.
The second would enshrine a right to abortion, defined as the ability to make decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including access to abortion, contraception, miscarriage management, and fertility treatments like IVF.
The third would automatically restore voting rights to individuals with felony convictions upon their release from incarceration, replacing Virginia’s current system of gubernatorial restoration.
These amendments require only a simple majority for approval and could reshape key aspects of Virginia law if passed.
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