Absentee voting by mail request deadline comes up Feb. 23

Qualified Virginia voters have until 5pm Tuesday, Feb. 23, to submit a request to their local voter registration office to receive an absentee ballot by mail for the March 1 presidential primary election. The Virginia Department of Elections (ELECT) offers eligible voters the ability to submit their request online through the secure Citizen Portal available at elections.virginia.gov.

“The Citizen Portal is a quick and easy way for Virginia voters to submit their absentee ballot application without being concerned about delays with mail delivery or uncertainty about emails or fax transmissions being received on time,” said Edgardo Cortés, the Commissioner of Elections.  Absentee Ballot applications can also be submitted by email, fax, or mail as long as they are received by the 5pm deadline.

There are 19 acceptable reasons for voting absentee and all eligible Virginia voters are encouraged to take advantage of this program. A list of acceptable reasons is available on the ELECT website elections.virginia.gov. Voters may find office hours and contact information for their local voter registration office, see what is on their ballot, apply for an absentee ballot by mail, check their absentee ballot status, and more at ELECT’s Citizen Portal available at vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation.

Important absentee ballot dates to remember if voting in the March 1, 2016, presidential primary.

• The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail is at 5pm on Tuesday, February 23, 2016.
• The deadline to vote absentee in-person is on Saturday, February 27, 2016.
• The deadline for returning your ballot by mail is on Tuesday, March 1, 2016.

Virginia voters casting an absentee ballot either in-person or on Election Day must show an acceptable photo ID. Voters who do not have an acceptable form of ID may still vote absentee in-person after completing the Virginia Voter Photo Identification Card Application and receiving a Temporary Identification Document from their voter registration office. Virginia voters may call the Department of Elections’ toll free number for assistance at 800- 552-9745.