In-person absentee voting available Oct. 24, Oct. 31

On Saturday, Oct. 24, and Saturday, Oct. 31, all election offices in the Commonwealth will be open for in-person absentee ballot voting for the November 3, 2015, general election. Absentee ballot applications are available at all election offices and must be completed prior to casting the ballot.  Saturday absentee voting provides Virginia voters with an additional opportunity to cast their qualifying absentee ballot in-person at their local voter registration office.

There are 19 acceptable reasons for voting absentee and all eligible Virginia voters are encouraged to take advantage of this program.  “Absentee voting is a wonderful option that allows Virginians to participate in the upcoming election even if they are unable to make it to the polls on Election Day,” said Edgardo Cortés, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Elections (ELECT).  A list of acceptable reasons is available on the ELECT website http://elections.virginia.gov.  Voters can find office hours and contact information for their local voter registration office, see what’s 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 November 3, 2015, general election.

• The deadline to apply for a ballot by mail is on Tuesday, October 27, 2015.
• The two Saturdays to vote absentee in-person are October 24^th & 31^st, 2015.
• The deadline to vote absentee in-person is on Saturday, October 31, 2015.
• The deadline for returning your ballot by mail is on Tuesday, November 3, 2015, by 7:00pm.

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.