All election offices in the Commonwealth will be open for in-person absentee voting on the following two Saturdays, October 29 and November 5, for the November 8 general election. Saturday absentee voting provides Virginia voters who are qualified to vote absentee with an additional opportunity to cast their ballot in person. In-person absentee voting also is available during local registrars’ normal business hours.
There is no early voting in Virginia. However, there are 19 acceptable reasons for voting absentee, including military service, illness, being away from home, pregnancy, a long commute that would keep you from getting to the polls, and more. A full list of qualifying reasons to vote absentee can be found at the Department of Elections Citizen Portal at vote.virginia.gov. Among other things, voters can find office hours and contact information for their local voter registration office, see who is on their ballot, apply for an absentee ballot by mail, and check their absentee ballot status at vote.virginia.gov.
More than 367,000 voters have applied for an absentee ballot. Absentee voting began in September, and already more than 220,000 Virginia voters have cast their absentee ballots, including over 128,000 who voted in person at local registrars’ offices. Absentee ballot applications can be completed in person before voting at election offices or online to have a ballot mailed to the voter’s home.
“Absentee voting is a helpful tool that allows those who can’t make it to the polls on Election Day the opportunity to cast their ballot beforehand,” said Department of Elections Commissioner Edgardo Cortés. “We encourage all eligible Virginia voters to take advantage of this opportunity.”
Important dates to remember if voting absentee in the November 8, 2016 general election include:
- The deadline to apply for a ballot by mail is on Tuesday, November 1, 2016.
- The two Saturdays to vote absentee in-person are October 29 and November 5.
- The deadline to vote absentee in-person is on Saturday, November 5.
- The deadline to return your absentee ballot by mail is on Election Day, November 8, 2016.
The Department of Elections encourages voters who are requesting absentee ballots sent by mail to apply well ahead of the November 1 deadline, as the US Postal Service advises that First Class delivery takes two to five days. Waiting until the deadline may not provide sufficient time for voters to receive their ballots and send them back on time.
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