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The Republican Party will hold a convention in Windsor to decide between two Navy veterans as its nominee for the newly created 84th House of Delegates District.

The 84th District’s legislative committee, a body consisting of city- and county-level Republican Party chairs in the district, has announced a June 17 convention at 10 a.m. in the Windsor Town Center. To cast ballots at a convention, voters will have to register as delegates and travel to the site to fill out what’s known as a “convention delegate form.”

Virginia’s Supreme Court adopted new legislative districts in 2021 based on the 2020 Census, forming the 84th from parts of the former 64th and 76th districts. The 84th now spans Isle of Wight County’s border with Suffolk.

Suffolk voters – Republican, Democrat and independent – account for roughly 77% of the district’s total population, according to an analysis by the Virginia Public Access Project. Isle of Wight voters account for just over 13%. The district also includes Franklin and part of Chesapeake, with Franklin voters comprising 8.9% and Chesapeake voters comprising less than 0.5%.

Retired Navy Capt. Mike Dillender of Suffolk is vying for the GOP’s nomination against retired Navy Chief Operations Specialist Rod Thompson, also of Suffolk.

According to the Republican Party’s convention call, each locality will have one delegate per 500 votes of “Republican Party voting strength.” Under this rule, Suffolk is allotted a maximum of 225 delegates. Isle of Wight is allotted 75, Franklin, 30, and Chesapeake, five.

Republicans wishing to become a delegate for Dillender can register online at: https://mikedillenderva.com/convention-delegates/.

Republicans wishing to become a delegate for Thompson can register online at: https://rodthompsonforva.com/convention.

Convention check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. A photo identification is required.

The convention call and rules are available at: https://virginia.gop/assets/uploads/2023/03/84th-District-Call-2023.pdf.

A March 9 letter from Virginia Department of Elections Commissioner Susan Beals to local electoral boards listed June 20 Republican primaries for 59 House races, including the 84th. But a March 10 letter showed Republican primaries for only 58 races, with the 84th no longer among them.

Department of Elections spokeswoman Andrea Gaines described the March 10 letter as a “correction.”