Chesterfield voters backed the 1 For Schools sales tax 89,819 to 87,251 once every ballot was counted. The 1.45% margin is above the 1% line for a recount.
Updated Nov. 14: With provisional and late-arriving mail ballots now counted, the yes side leads 89,819 to 87,251. The margin grew to 2,568 votes, or 1.45%, which is above the 1% line for a recount petition under state law. Details are in the final count section.
Chesterfield County voters approved the 1 For Schools sales tax question by 1,644 votes, according to unofficial results on Nov. 7. The yes side had 87,582 votes and the no side 85,938.
That was 50.5% to 49.5%, with all 78 precincts reporting. The figures come from the Virginia Department of Elections results page for Chesterfield County, last updated Friday afternoon. The results are unofficial until the county’s Electoral Board finishes its canvass.
A yes result lets the county add up to 1% to the local sales tax to pay for school buildings. The list includes a replacement for Midlothian Middle School and a new elementary school for the Midlothian and Clover Hill area. Our earlier story on the question sets out every project and what the county says it would cost a household.
The vote in numbers
| Yes | No | |
|---|---|---|
| Early voting | 38,914 | 35,826 |
| Election Day | 39,239 | 42,940 |
| Mailed absentee | 9,429 | 7,172 |
| Total | 87,582 | 85,938 |
Early and mail voters carried the measure. Election Day voters turned it down by 3,701 votes. The state’s page showed no provisional or post-election ballots counted for the question as of Friday afternoon.
In all, 175,366 ballots were cast in the county. That is about 60% of the 291,118 registered voters listed on the state’s results page.
The final count
The state’s results page now lists every group of Chesterfield ballots as fully reported, including provisional ballots and mail ballots that arrived after Election Day. The Virginia Department of Elections results file was last refreshed early Saturday, Nov. 14.
| Yes | No | |
|---|---|---|
| Early voting | 38,914 | 35,826 |
| Election Day | 39,239 | 42,940 |
| Mailed absentee | 9,429 | 7,172 |
| Provisional | 1,461 | 699 |
| Post-election (late mail) | 776 | 614 |
| Total | 89,819 | 87,251 |
The 3,550 extra votes split 2,237 yes and 1,313 no. That pushed the yes share to 50.7%.
Under Virginia Code Section 24.2-800, voters can petition for a recount on a ballot question only when the margin is 1% or less of the votes cast for and against it. One percent of the 177,070 votes is about 1,771. The margin is 2,568, so the recount route no longer applies on these figures.
We found no certification notice from the county’s Electoral Board on the county’s news page on Saturday.
How Midlothian voted
The Midlothian District gave the measure its strongest support, 54.9% yes. Its precincts cast 20,708 yes votes and 16,991 no votes. We grouped the state’s precinct results by district using the county’s precinct lists. The district figures cover early, Election Day and mail ballots. Provisional and late mail ballots are reported countywide only.
By district, the unofficial yes share was:
- Midlothian: 54.9% (20,708 yes, 16,991 no)
- Dale: 54.8% (15,943 yes, 13,169 no)
- Clover Hill: 52.1% (19,667 yes, 18,057 no)
- Bermuda: 47.1% (13,981 yes, 15,707 no)
- Matoaca: 44.0% (17,283 yes, 22,014 no)
Fifteen of the Midlothian District’s 18 precincts voted yes. The Midlothian precinct itself went 1,659 to 1,489. Bon Air voted 61.8% yes. Three precincts voted no:
- Salisbury, 1,540 yes to 1,607 no
- Roseland, 1,084 to 1,159
- Midlothian North, 1,470 to 1,488
The recount rule
In the Nov. 7 count, the margin was 0.95% of the 173,520 votes cast on the question. Under Virginia Code Section 24.2-800, a referendum decided by 1% or less can go to a recount. At least 50 voters who were qualified to vote on the question must sign and file a petition.
The petition is due within 10 days of the day the Electoral Board certifies the result, Section 24.2-801 says. For a local referendum it goes to the circuit court of the county. The Electoral Board has up to 10 calendar days from the election to ascertain the results, under Section 24.2-671. That puts the deadline at Friday, Nov. 13.
The final count has since widened the margin past 1%, as set out above.
What happens next
A yes vote authorizes the tax but does not start it, the county said on its 1 For Schools referendum page. The Board of Supervisors must adopt a separate ordinance to levy it. The tax would then take effect on the first day of a month at least 120 days later.
The county has projected $65 million to $70 million a year, starting July 1, 2027. The money can be spent only on building or renovating schools. The tax would expire July 22, 2046.
The board has signaled it would consider cutting the real estate tax rate by 2 cents and the personal property rate by 10 cents once the tax is in place. Those cuts need their own vote, the county said. The county has not said when the board will take up the ordinance.
What it means for you
- Nothing changes at the register yet. The sales tax stays at 6% until the board adopts an ordinance and the 120-day wait runs out. Groceries and essential hygiene products stay at 1% either way, the county said.
- The vote count is settled. The yes side leads by 1.45% with every ballot counted, above the 1% line for a recount petition.
- Midlothian Middle families: the replacement building moves a step closer, but the county has not published a construction date.
- Property owners: any cut to the real estate or car tax rates comes in a later board vote. Current rates are on our property taxes page.
Every Chesterfield result is on our Midlothian voting page. School details are on our Midlothian Middle School page and schools guide.
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