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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>61791</law_id><section_number>24.2-217</section_number><catch_line>Election and terms of constitutional officers</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>15.2-3534</reference><reference>15.2-3820</reference><reference>15.2-3821</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="24.2">Elections</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="2">Federal, Commonwealth, and Local Officers</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="5">Constitutional and Local Officers</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>The <span class="dictionary">qualified voters</span> of each county shall elect a sheriff, an attorney for the Commonwealth, a treasurer, and a commissioner of the revenue at the <span class="dictionary">general election</span> in November 1995, and every four years thereafter unless a county has adopted an optional form of government which provides that the office be abolished or a county&#x2019;s charter so provides. The <span class="dictionary">qualified voters</span> of each city, unless its charter provides otherwise, shall elect a sheriff, an attorney for the Commonwealth, a treasurer, and a commissioner of the revenue at the <span class="dictionary">general election</span> in November 1997, and every four years thereafter. All shall hold office for a term of four years beginning the January 1 next succeeding their election.
		The <span class="dictionary">qualified voters</span> of the several counties shall elect a clerk of the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> of the county at the <span class="dictionary">general election</span> in November 1999, and every eight years thereafter. The <span class="dictionary">qualified voters</span> of each city having a <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> shall elect a clerk of the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> at the November 1995, <span class="dictionary">general election</span> and every eight years thereafter. They shall hold office for a term of eight years beginning the January 1 next succeeding their election.
		If a county and city share any of the offices to which this section applies, the <span class="dictionary">qualified voters</span> of the city shall cast their votes for that office according to the schedule set forth above for counties.</p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7;&#xA7; 24-154, 24-155, 24-161, 24-162, 24-167; 1970, c. 462, &#xA7;&#xA7; 24.1-86, 24.1-87; 1971, Ex. Sess., c. 119; 1979, c. 522; 1993, c. 641.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
