Party-Line Voting at 2026 Crossover

At the mid-point of the General Assembly session, contested votes are on the rise compared to previous years. Most floor votes are still passed with unanimous agreement. But, of this year’s closely contested votes, the majority were split exactly along party lines – with all Democrats taking one position and all Republicans taking another – for the first time since VPAP began tracking votes in 2018. In past sessions, it was more common for a small share of legislators to break with their party on contentious votes.

"Some Opposition" Any roll call vote on the House or Senate floor that passes with opposition from less than one-third of the votes cast, and without unanimous support.

"Closely Contested" Any roll call vote on the House or Senate floor that passes with opposition by one-third or more of the votes cast.

• Straight Party Line: All Republicans took one position, and all Democrats took the other.
• Near Party Line: At least 90% of one or both parties voted the same way.
• Not Party Line: Neither party had at least 90% of members vote the same way.

Sources: Virginia LIS and VPAP analysis