Tuesday, Nov. 5, is Election Day.

Across the state, Virginians will go to the polls to elect members of the General Assembly. All 140 seats in the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates are up for election.

Additionally, important local contests will be decided on Election Day. In the city of Richmond, that includes the 5th District Richmond City Council representative, the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney and clerk of Richmond Circuit Court.

In Henrico and Chesterfield counties, voters also will select a sheriff and members of the board of supervisors and school board.

The upcoming legislative contests will be critical in Virginia because Republicans hold a slim two-vote majority in both the Senate and the House of Delegates. At current count, Republicans hold a 20-19 edge over Democrats in the Senate, and a 51-48 edge in the House, with one vacancy in each chamber.

The election could very well change the balance of power in the Virginia Legislature and help the common- wealth forge a more progressive path with laws that will better benefit the people, including common sense gun laws, raising the minimum wage and ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment.

We saw what a shift toward more progressive policies would mean in Virginia following the November 2017 election, when Democrats picked up 15 seats in the House, resulting in the current count. Republicans were forced to back Medicaid expansion, which Democrats had unsuc- cessfully sought for several years. Because of that change, about 300,000 previously uninsured Virginians now have health care coverage.

In Richmond, a new 5th District City Council member has the potential to determine whether millions of dollars in taxpayer money will be tied up for the next 30 years in a Coliseum replacement and Downtown redevelopment plan, or whether public schools and other vital services will take priority.

“Every election is determined by the people who show up,” political analyst Larry J. Sabato of the University of Virginia has said.

The Richmond Free Press believes that our vote is our power. And we hope that Richmond area voters will turn out to the polls in strong numbers on Nov. 5 to continue the wave of progress in Virginia and to keep the focus on public schools and other critical priorities in our city.

After careful consideration, we endorse the following candidates:

Virginia Senate

We endorse veteran lawmaker Sen. Jennifer L. McClellan, a Democrat from Richmond, for re-election in the 9th Senate District. She has done a solid job in representing her constituents since 2017 and, before that, during her tenure in the House of Delegates, beginning in 2006. She has been stalwart in her support for voting rights, for equal rights for the LGBTQ community, for women’s rights to make their own decisions about their reproductive health and to increase funding for public education and higher education. Her service on various legislative commissions, including the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Commission, the Emancipation Proclamation and Freedom Monument and the Virginia Conflicts of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council have produced tangible, but often unnoticed results. She is vice chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and has contributed much to advance initiatives and legislation important to our community.

In the 10th Senate District, we endorse Democrat Ghazala F. Hashmi. Dr. Hashmi is a long-time educator who understands the myriad of issues facing public education, both secondary education and our state’s public colleges and universities. She can lend her voice to workable solutions on those issues, including fighting for more funding. She also backs stronger gun safety laws, including universal background checks for all gun purchases and limiting the number of firearms purchases in a month. Her opponent, GOP incumbent Sen. Glen H. Sturtevant Jr., has voted against those measures. He also received a 0 percent rating by NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia on women’s reproductive health issues. We would like to see a more progressive person representing the district. Dr. Hashmi is our choice.

In the 12th Senate District, we urge voters to cast their ballots for Democrat Debra H. Rodman of Henrico, who has stepped down from the House of Delegates to take on incumbent GOP Sen. Siobhan S. Dunnavant. In the House since 2017, Ms. Rodman has backed many of the issues we feel are critical for progress in Virginia, includ- ing Medicaid expansion. She was chief sponsor of bills to expand voting rights, to raise the sub-minimum wage for tipped employees like servers and busboys to more than the current $2.13 an hour and expand mental health instruction to all grade levels that offer health classes. She also has been a strong supporter of women’s reproductive health rights and LGBTQ rights. Her election would help turn the Senate blue, and her voice and vote would help make a difference for the people in her district and across the commonwealth.

In the 16th Senate District, we support Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey, a Democrat, over independent candidate Waylin K. Ross for this open seat that was held by Sen. Rosalyn Dance of Petersburg. Mr. Morrissey defeated Sen. Dance in the June Democratic primary. While we don’t agree with Mr. Morrissey’s personal choices, he stands up for his constituents, who show they value him despite his numerous past legal and professional ethics troubles.

House of Delegates

Area races for the House of Delegates don’t hold a lot of interest or urgency, with many of the candidates uncontested. Still, we urge voters to go to the polls on Tuesday and support the following candidates:

We endorse Sheila C. Bynum-Coleman, a Democrat, in the 66th House District. She is taking on the powerful House speaker, Republican M. Kirkland “Kirk” Cox of Colonial Heights. When we first met Ms. Bynum-Coleman in 2015 during her initial bid for office, we believed she would be a breath of fresh air, bringing new ideas and energy to the House. That is still the case. And we hope that she can garner the votes to defeat Speaker Cox, who has been a roadblock to state progress long enough.

Incumbent Delegates Betsy B. Carr, Delores L. McQuinn and Lamont Bagby, in the 69th, 70th and 74th districts, respectively. They are running unopposed, but still deserve an affirmative vote on Tuesday to reinforce that we expect them to push progressive legislation in the upcoming General Assembly, including gun safety laws and increased state funding for public schools. For the same reason, we also endorse Democratic Delegate Jeffrey M. Bourne, 71st District, who has a perfunctory challenger in Libertarian candidate Peter J. Wells.

As chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, Del. Bagby did an admirable job earlier this year under the national spotlight focused on Virginia’s political scandals. He and caucus members walked a delicate tightrope with integrity.

Local Elections

City of Richmond

Richmond City Council 5th District

We are invigorated by interest shown in the 5th District City Council race, which has drawn seven interesting and viable candidates seeking to serve the remainder of Councilman Parker C. Agelasto’s term through December 2020.

We endorse Stephanie Lynch in the contest.

While Ms. Lynch is a political newcomer, we believe she has the energy, skill and commitment to make a difference not only in the 5th District, but for the city as a whole.

A social worker by training, Ms. Lynch has experience working with people with great needs and understanding the critical role of government and government funding in serving and making a difference in the lives of people.

As director of strategy, development and government affairs at an agency that provides an array of services to those with mental health and developmental disabilities, she also understands budgets, competing priorities, quality service delivery, coalition building and the importance of transparency, all of which are key to serving successfully on City Council.

She is committed to expanding funding for Richmond Public Schools to address equity issues such as a new George Wythe High School and programs to give students options and skill sets for success after graduation; helping to ensure that public housing residents and “legacy” homeowners in Richmond neighborhoods aren’t displaced; and expanding public transit service so that Richmond residents can get to jobs in the counties.

Ms. Lynch also noted that should a vote on the Coli- seum replacement project be taken today, she would vote against it because of the long-term indebtedness it would bring to city taxpayers and because a public survey she has taken shows a majority of those she would represent on City Council are opposed to it.

She also believes the Confederate monuments in Rich- mond are not “beacons and symbols we want” for our city, and should be removed.

While the term of the next 5th District council repre- sentative would be only 13 months, we believe Ms. Lynch has the ability to make a positive impact during that short time. We also hope that she would add to her advisory team Henry W. “Chuck” Richardson, whose institutional knowledge and intrepid style would be an asset in moving the city forward.

Commonwealth’s attorney

We support Colette W. McEachin, who is running unopposed. Ms. McEachin has more than 20 years of experience in the office and was named by former Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael N. Herring to take over the job as top prosecutor when he stepped down on July 1. She knows the ropes, knows what the city needs and we believe she will do the job with fairness and integrity.

Clerk of circuit court

We support Edward F. Jewett, who is running unopposed. He has done a solid job as clerk of the court for many years and strives to serve not only the members of the legal community who depend on the office, but the citizens who may not be as familiar with the court’s workings and proceedings.

Henrico County Board of Supervisors

We endorse the re-election of board Chairman Tyrone E. Nelson of the Varina District and board member Frank J. Thornton of the Fairfield District. Serving on the board together for many years now, Rev. Nelson and Mr. Thornton have worked to alleviate the inequity in funding, facilities and services that was impeding the strength and vitality of Eastern Henrico. Because of their efforts, we are now seeing positive changes in Eastern Henrico, including new library and recreation facilities, more retail growth and expanding job opportunities. We also are seeing more attention paid to the needs of public schools in that area of the county, including plans for a new Highland Springs High School. We believe re-electing the dynamic duo will help continue this path of progress so needed in Eastern Henrico.

Sheriff

We endorse Col. Alisa A. Gregory. She has many years of experience in the office, rising through the ranks to become undersheriff to Sheriff Mike Wade, who is retiring. Col. Gregory would be able to continue the progress and momentum built under Sheriff Wade, who endorsed her in this three-way contest. That speaks volumes because Sheriff Wade, a loyal Republican, stepped outside of party boundaries to endorse Col. Gregory, a Democrat. That shows the confidence he has in her skills and abilities to keep the Henrico Sheriff’s Office moving forward. We believe she will build on the innovative and solution-oriented programs Sheriff Wade has instituted in the county, including the RISE and ORBIT programs to help offenders kick addictions and become ready for successful re-entry into the community.

School Board

We endorse the Rev. Roscoe D. Cooper III for re-election in the Fairfield District. He has helped bring attention to and moves toward equity for schools in Eastern Henrico. We believe that having another person of color on the Henrico School Board will double those efforts, and we are pleased to see that four African-American women have stepped up as candidates in the Varina District. We support Joyce L. Davis for the seat. While the decision was difficult, we believe that Ms. Davis’ background and experience as a former teacher, policy analyst and adviser, owner of a tutoring services company and work as a juvenile probation officer give her a clear understanding of the horrible school-to-prison pipeline that has drowned many children of color in the area. With that knowledge, she can help bring ideas to reform and break the cycle. She has been active within Henrico County Public Schools and has served on the strategic plan subcommittee, which gives her a leg up on understanding the process and what is needed to affect change. Because of the range of needs of youths in the Varina District, we believe the district needs a strong advocate who can be effective when it comes to programs, policies and funding. We think Ms. Davis will do a solid job in this critical role to help students and their families.

Commonwealth’s attorney

We endorse incumbent Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon L. Taylor for re-election. We believe she has run the office fairly and with transparency, supporting several criminal justice reforms including emphasizing treatment and not jail for nonviolent offenders with drug addictions. We are skeptical about the broad allegations of unfairness raised by her Republican challenger C. Owen Inge Conway about special treatment for certain offenders, and point out that Ms. Taylor returned the contribution to her campaign that was made by a defendant with an active case in Henrico once she discovered it. Ms. Taylor also has been working with school and community groups to turn off the school-to-prison pipeline and supports gun safety legislation, including universal background checks for all gun purchases that will help reduce gun violence.