2026 Gubernatorial Scorecard

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Justification: We grade Youngkin on two executive orders, one attacking early voting and another that advances a new Bay agreement, which pushes the ball forward but largely leaves the real work for the next Administration. Accordingly, we give Youngkin a C- for his executive orders.

Election ‘Security’

Just a week prior to the beginning of early voting in this year’s pivotal statewide and House of Delegates’ elections, Youngkin issued Executive Order 54, which attempts to reinstate his controversial voter-purge program from 2024, and mandates collaboration with the federal government, specifically the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and participation in the federal SAVE database, which has faced scrutiny for bad data collection. In reality, this order, made in the name of “election security,” imposed last-minute burdens on elections officials, caused confusion around early voting, which is becoming more and more popular, and opened the door to voter intimidation at a time when ICE is terrorizing communities.

Bay Cleanup

In December 2024 (after publication of our last Gubernatorial Scorecard) Youngkin issued Executive Order 10 focusing on the future of the Chesapeake Bay cleanup following 2025, a milestone year for the Total Maximum Daily Load implemented in 2010. Specifically, the order directs the Natural Resources Secretary and their agencies to take a leadership role in crafting a new agreement, reevaluate and reassess Bay cleanup investments, develop streamlined guidance around existing conservation and water quality resources, and launch strategic initiatives focused on science-based protections for wetlands and shellfish populations. This order helped lay the foundation for the Bay agreement just signed in Baltimore.

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Recommendation: The incoming Administration should use its executive authority to get Virginia back on track securing a healthy environment and a democracy that works for all Virginians. This means Executive Orders rolling back Governor Youngkin’s attacks on affordable, clean energy, and voting rights, and forward-looking measures that use a whole-of-government approach to lower electric bills, get more clean energy on the grid, cut pollution, safeguard clean water, and bolster our democracy.

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Recent surveys show declines in the Bay’s blue crab population, making it more imperative to continue cutting pollution loads in our nation’s largest estuary. (Wikimedia Commons)

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Justification: We grade Youngkin on two executive orders, one attacking early voting and another that advances a new Bay agreement, which pushes the ball forward but largely leaves the real work for the next Administration. Accordingly, we give Youngkin a C- for his executive orders.

Vetoes

Virginia LCV took positions on 100 bills this year. Fifty-one bills that we supported made it out of the General Assembly to Youngkin’s desk for him to sign, veto or amend.

Youngkin vetoed 23 bills that we supported:

• House Bill 1601 from Del. Josh Thomas and Senate Bill 1449 from Sen. Adam Ebbin: Requires data centers or other high energy use facilities (HEUFs) to assess their facility’s impact on nearby communities and natural resources prior to a zoning approval.
• House Bill 1616 from Del. Michael Feggans: Addresses the need for skilled workers in the offshore wind industry by providing localizing training, certification and professional development.
• House Bill 1721 from Del. Vivian Watts: Deters siting of transmission lines through land held under conservation easements or under Virginia or National historic registries by establishing compensation for the state and local jurisdictions for tax credits as part of the incentives for these easements and registries.
• House Bill 1791 from Del. Rip Sullivan: Creates the Rural Charging Infrastructure Program and Fund, providing developers with grants covering up to 70% of the costs associated with the installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in rural and low-income localities, as well as at state parks and near federal lands.

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Recommendation: The incoming Administration should use its executive authority to get Virginia back on track securing a healthy environment and a democracy that works for all Virginians. This means Executive Orders rolling back Governor Youngkin’s attacks on affordable, clean energy, and voting rights, and forward-looking measures that use a whole-of-government approach to lower electric bills, get more clean energy on the grid, cut pollution, safeguard clean water, and bolster our democracy.

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