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Virginia, State Senate, District 16

Virginia State Senate District 16
Current incumbentRoz Dance Democratic Party
Population200,841
Race36.9% White, 54.9% Black, 0.7% American Indian, 1.8% Asian, 0.2% Hawaiian, 4.6% Other, 0.9% Two or More Races
Ethnicity91.9% Not Hispanic, 8.1% Hispanic
Voting age76.0% age 18 and over

Virginia's sixteenth state senate district seat is represented by Democratic Senator Roz Dance.

As of the 2011 redistricting, a total of 200,841 civilians reside within Virginia's sixteenth state senate district. Virginia state senators represent an average of 200,026 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 176,963 residents.

About the office

Members of the Virginia State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Virginia legislators assume office the second Wednesday in January after the election.

Qualifications

Senators must be at least 21 years of age at the time of the election, residents of the district they represent, and qualified to vote for members of the Virginia General Assembly.

Salaries

State legislators
SalaryPer diem
$18,000/year for the Senate; $17,640/year for the House$203/day

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the Virginia General Assembly, a special election must be conducted to fill the vacant seat. If the vacancy occurs while the legislature is in session, the presiding officer of the house in which the vacancy happens must call for a special election. If the vacancy occurs while the legislature is in recess, the governor shall call the special election. All special elections must be held promptly. However, no special election can be held if it occurs less than 55 days before any statewide primary or general election or if there are fewer than 75 days remaining in the vacated term.

Elections

2019

Elections for the Virginia State Senate took place in 2019. The primary was on June 11, 2019, and the general election was on November 5. The filing deadline for candidates was March 28, 2019.

General election
General election for Virginia State Senate District 16

Joseph Morrissey (D) defeated Waylin Ross (Independent) in the general election for Virginia State Senate District 16 on November 5, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes

Joseph Morrissey (D)
64.2
29,389

Waylin Ross (Independent)
34.4
15,719
Other/Write-in votes
1.4
646

Total votes: 45,754
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 16

Joseph Morrissey defeated incumbent Roz Dance in the Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 16 on June 11, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes

Joseph Morrissey (D)
56.4
8,622

Roz Dance (D)
43.6
6,665

Total votes: 15,287
Republican primary election

No Republican candidates ran in the primary.


2015

Elections for the Virginia State Senate took place in 2015. A primary election was held on June 9, 2015. The general election took place on November 3, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 26, 2015. Incumbent Rosalyn Dance defeated Joseph Preston in the Democratic primary. No Republican candidates filed for election. Joseph Morrissey ran as a third party independent candidate but withdrew from the race on September 10, 2015, due to a health problem. Morrissey remained on the ballot, however. Dance defeated Morrissey in the general election.

Virginia State Senate, District 16 Democratic Primary, 2015

Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngRosalyn Dance Incumbent 62% 4,967
Joseph Preston 38% 3,039
Total Votes 8,006

2014

Roz Dance (D) defeated Preston T. “Famous” Brown (I) in the special election on November 4, 2014.

The seat was vacant following Henry Marsh's (D) retirement on July 3, 2014.

A special election for the position of Virginia State Senate District 16 was called for November 4.

Virginia State Senate, District 16, Special Election, 2014

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngRoz Dance 74.2% 29,237
Independent Preston T. “Famous” Brown 25.8% 10,154
Total Votes 39,391

2011

Elections for the office of Virginia State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 23, 2011, and a general election on November 8, 2011. Democratic incumbent Henry Marsh defeated Independent candidate Preston Brown in the general election. Marsh was unopposed in the Democratic primary election.

Virginia State Senate, District 16 General Election, 2011

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngHenry Marsh 69.3% 16,711
Independent Preston Brown 30.7% 7,391
Total Votes 24,102

Campaign contributions

From 2003 to 2011, candidates for Virginia State Senate District 16 raised a total of $393,606. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $78,721 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Virginia State Senate District 16

Year Amount Candidates Average
2011 $221,057 2 $110,529
2007 $106,754 2 $53,377
2003 $65,795 1 $65,795
Total $393,606 5 $78,721