Explainer: When and where to vote, what’s on the ballot in Virginia

Voters in Virginia will elect a governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general in the November 4 general election, less than two weeks away.

Virginia is one of only two states holding off-year elections for its top job and state legislators.

A ton of national attention is on the state as pundits predict the results will take the temperature for the nation on how people feel about the first year of the Trump presidency.

According to the Virginia Public Access Project, more than 800,000 ballots have already been cast in the November general election.

Locally, more than 10,000 ballots have been cast in House District 36 and more than 8,000 votes have been recorded in HD36, both considered strong Republican districts.

“Virginians have many options to cast their ballot – early in person, by mail or on Election Day,” said Susan Beals, Department of Elections commissioner. “We want to make sure Virginians have a plan to vote in this November’s election.”

Historically, the party not occupying the White House is favored to win in Virginia.

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ICYMI

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• Gubernatorial results to serve as bellwether of country on Trump’s agenda
• The 20 | MAGA House seats that Virginia Democrats could flip in the 2025 cycle
• The money race | A look at how Democrats are supporting our local House candidates

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All 100 seats in the House of Delegates are also up for election, as well as local offices.

Below is the 4-1-1 on when and where to vote.

Voting early in-person

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• In-person early voting for the Nov. 4 election continues through Saturday, Nov. 1.
• Early voting locations will be open for the two Saturdays preceding Election Day – Oct. 25 and Nov. 1.
• All localities offer early voting. Voters are only allowed to vote early in the jurisdiction in which they are registered.
• To vote early in-person, registered voters should go to a designated early voting location for the jurisdiction in which they are registered, present their ID and cast a ballot. Early voting locations vary by jurisdiction. Dates and times vary by jurisdiction.
• Curbside voting is also available for those with disabilities and those over 65 who wish to vote in person.

Voting by mail

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• Mailed ballots must be received by the general registrar’s office before noon Friday, Nov. 7, to be counted.
• Voters are advised to promptly return any ballots received through mail to ensure they are counted.
• Voters who requested a ballot mailed to them have several options to return those ballots: By mail, in person at the general registrar’s office, in person at an early voting location or official ballot drop box
• Voters who live outside the United States who requested a ballot by mail are advised to use a commercial delivery service such as FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc. to return their ballot to the general registrar’s office. Otherwise, it is recommended to take the sealed ballot to the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for delivery.
• By law, all absentee ballots must be either returned in person or postmarked by Election Day (Nov. 4) to be counted. To guarantee a mailed ballot receives a postmark, the United States Postal Service advises voters take ballots inside a post office location and request a postmark.

Voters can check the status of a mailed ballot using the Department of Elections’ citizen portal using the “check registration status” link.

Voting on Election Day

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• Polls will be open Nov. 4 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Anyone in line before 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
• To find your polling location, use either the polling place and ballot information lookup tool or the citizen portal.
• Voters should be prepared to present their ID to the officers of election before casting their ballot.

Same-day registration on Election Day

• Anyone voting through same-day registration will be required to fill out a registration form, present their ID and cast a provisional ballot.
• Information will be given to anyone voting a provisional ballot notifying the voter of the date, time and place where the local electoral board will make a decision regarding a provisional ballot.
• The voter is entitled to attend this meeting but is not required to be present for their vote to count.
• If the provisional ballot is not counted, the voter will receive written notice from the general registrar