The precincts are live. We are getting early reports of a minor technical glitch with the electronic poll books at the Chantilly precinct, but it has been resolved.

If the Republican wins HD44 tonight, expect national pundits to panic. If the Democrat wins by less than 5 points, expect the same panic.

Polls are officially open (and have been for several hours) in the race to succeed former Delegate [Name], who stepped down earlier this winter. This is a district that has become ground zero for the 2026 political narrative. Depending on who you talk to, HD44 is either a bellwether for the national midterms or a unique local battle about data centers and school funding.

Democrats are feeling cautiously optimistic about the energy here, but a GOP source texted us that their independent voters are "breaking hard" on the issue of car taxes.

The afternoon church vote is wrapping up in the western end of the district. We are hearing reports of strong turnout at the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church polling location. In special elections, the race often comes down to which party can bus their voters to the box.