A total of 12,242 people voted early in the U.S. Virgin Islands’ 2026 general election, exceeding early participation in this year’s primary and the previous two general elections as the territory prepares to choose its next governor and lieutenant governor on Tuesday.
The final figures, released October 31 by Supervisor of Elections Caroline F. Fawkes, show 6,217 early voters on St. Croix, 5,624 on St. Thomas and 401 on St. John. Together, they represent 38 percent of active registered voters, according to the Elections System.
Early voting concluded Saturday, October 31. The final count was 2,470 higher than the agency’s previously reported total through October 29, meaning approximately one-fifth of the completed early-voting tally was added in the final two days.
St. Croix accounted for approximately 50.8 percent of early participation, followed by St. Thomas with 45.9 percent and St. John with 3.3 percent. Each island exceeded its early-voting participation in the primary and in the 2022 and 2024 general elections.
Early participation rises 72 percent from the primary
The Elections System’s historical participation table records 7,113 early voters for the August 1 primary. The general election’s final early count exceeded that figure by 5,129, an increase of approximately 72.1 percent.
On St. Croix, early participation rose from 3,461 in the primary to 6,217 in the general election, an increase of 2,756, or 79.6 percent. St. Thomas increased from 3,444 to 5,624, a gain of 2,180, or 63.3 percent. St. John rose from 208 to 401, an increase of 193, or 92.8 percent.
The general election’s early participation alone also exceeded the entire primary’s ballot count. Official primary results recorded 10,551 ballots across all voting methods, putting the general election’s early headcount 1,691 above that total, or approximately 16 percent higher.
Those comparisons require context. The primary results measured participation among registered Democrats, while the general election is open to the broader electorate. The general election also provided a longer early-voting period. The increases therefore do not establish that the same pool of eligible voters participated at a higher rate.
The official primary results reported turnout of 50.43 percent among 20,922 registered Democrats. That percentage is not directly comparable with the Elections System’s finding that general-election early voters represented 38 percent of active registered voters, because the electorates and voting periods differ and Election Day participation has not yet been added.
There is also a small difference between the primary’s administrative participation record and its tabulated results. The agency’s historical table lists 7,113 early voters, while the official results record 7,107 early ballots. The early-to-early comparisons here use the historical participation series consistently; the records reviewed do not explain the six-count difference.
The primary’s official ballot total comprised 7,107 early ballots, 2,884 Election Day ballots, 558 absentee ballots and two provisional ballots. Early ballots represented approximately 67.4 percent of all primary ballots counted.
Above both 2024 and the last governor’s election
The final 2026 early count exceeded the 6,832 early voters recorded in the 2024 general election by 5,410, or approximately 79.2 percent. The 2024 figures were 3,781 on St. Croix, 2,887 on St. Thomas and 164 on St. John.
The 2022 general election provides another useful comparison because it, like this year’s election, included the governorship. That election recorded 11,849 early voters, meaning this year’s total was 393 higher, an increase of approximately 3.3 percent.
Against 2022, St. Croix increased by 254 early voters, St. Thomas by 106 and St. John by 33. The comparison shows a more modest increase than the jump from 2024, when the governorship was not on the ballot.
The participation figures do not indicate which candidates are leading. They count voters rather than candidate preferences, and neither the size of the early vote nor the island breakdown establishes the outcome of any contest or the territory’s eventual overall turnout.
Polls open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Election Day voting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. AST. The Elections System says voters may choose any voting center within their district, rather than being restricted to a traditional neighborhood precinct.
“Voters may cast their ballots on Election Day at any voting center of choice in their district,” the October 31 release states. Voters who are in line when polls close will be permitted to vote, according to the agency’s voter-rights guidance.
The updated St. Croix polling-center notice lists D.C. Canegata Recreation Center, St. Dunstan’s Episcopal School Auditorium, St. Croix Educational Complex High School Gymnasium, St. Joseph Hospitality Lounge and Claude O. Markoe Elementary School Cafeteria. Voters should use the updated notice: Educational Complex is included, while Central High School is not.
On St. Thomas, the listed locations are Charlotte Amalie High School’s Sprung facility, Ivanna Eudora Kean High School Cafeteria, UVI’s Elridge Blake Sports & Fitness Center and Tutu Park Mall opposite Carlos Furniture. St. John locations are Julius Sprauve Elementary School and Guy Benjamin Community Center.
Voters unable to cast a ballot in person should consult the Elections System about absentee options. Its published notice sets November 3 at 5 p.m. as the deadline to request an emailed absentee ballot or pick up an in-person absentee ballot. That deadline concerns obtaining a ballot; it should not be mistaken for a deadline to return a completed one.
What is on the ballot
Five tickets are contesting the governor and lieutenant governor’s race: Adlah “Foncie” Donastorg and Positive Nelson; Warren Mosler and Colin Robertson; Stacey E. Plaskett and Milton E. Potter; Oakland Benta and Merwin Potter; and Gustav James and Randolph Bennett. Voters select the governor and lieutenant governor together as a single ticket.
The delegate-to-Congress contest lists Janelle K. Sarauw and Shelley A. H. Moorhead. Angel Bolques Jr. and Hadiya Sewer are competing for senator at large, while voters may select up to seven district senators and up to two Board of Education candidates.
For the Board of Elections, St. Croix voters may select up to three candidates. The St. Thomas–St. John ballot separately permits up to one selection for the St. John membership and up to two for St. Thomas.
The official sample ballots are two-sided, and voters should review each contest’s selection limit. Anyone who makes a mistake should request a replacement ballot from a poll worker rather than attempt to correct it in a way that could affect how it is read.
Certification and a possible runoff
Election-night results will precede certification. The Elections System’s published calendar schedules certification of the general election for November 13, with a gubernatorial runoff on November 17 if necessary.
The governor and lieutenant governor must be elected by a majority. If no ticket receives a majority, the two leading tickets advance to a runoff. A five-ticket field does not itself establish that a runoff will be required.
The calendar lists November 14–15 for early voting in a runoff, if one is needed, and November 27 for runoff certification. Until ballots are counted, the final early-voting figures establish participation, not a winner, with Election Day and other ballots still needed to complete the general-election results.
