Absentee voting for March 3 Democratic primary begins this week

Registered voters in Virginia may now request an absentee ballot for the March 3 Democratic presidential primary.

Voters can request a ballot to be mailed to them by going online to www.elections.virginia.gov/citizen-portal or find the form to fill out and mail to their local voter registration office at www.elections.virginia.gov/forms.

Virginia Republicans will choose delegates to their national convention at a state convention. Therefore, no Republican candidates will appear on the ballot in the March 3 primary.

A list of the 20 acceptable reasons a voter can give to vote absentee in Virginia is available at www.elections.virginia.gov/absentee.

In-person absentee voting will begin on Thursday, Jan. 16, Friday, Jan. 17, or Saturday Jan. 18, depending on office hours and observation of state holidays. If a voter is unsure when in-person absentee voting starts in their locality, they should contact their local voter registration office.

They can find information about their local office at www.elections.virginia.gov/vro.

Other important absentee ballot dates to remember if voting in the March 3 Democratic primary, include:

• The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail is at 5pm on Tuesday, Feb. 25.
• The deadline to vote absentee in-person is on Saturday, Feb. 29.
• The deadline for returning your ballot by mail is on Election Day, Tuesday, March 3.

Virginia voters casting an absentee ballot either in-person or on Election Day must show an acceptable photo ID. Voters can get a free Voter Photo ID at their local voter registration office. 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. Find out more about Virginia’s voter ID requirements at www.elections.virginia.gov/voterid.

The last day to register to vote or update voter registration information in order to vote in the March election is Monday, Feb. 10.

More information on voter registration can be found online at www.elections.virginia.gov/registration.

For more information on the March 3 primary or other election-related inquiries, go to vote.virginia.gov, send an email to [email protected] or call the Virginia Department of Elections at (800) 552-9745.