Election Day is 47 days away, but if you already know who you’re voting for, and want to avoid the long lines, you can get it out of the way beginning on Friday.
In-person voting in Virginia is set to begin tomorrow, and absentee ballots will be sent beginning tomorrow to those who have requested a ballot by mail.
The old requirement to have a reason to need to vote absentee has been lifted, meaning any registered voter may request an absentee ballot, either in-person or by mail.
Voters can request a mailed ballot online at elections.virginia.gov/voterInformation.
You can also find a vote-by-mail ballot form at elections.virginia.gov/forms.
Or you can contact your local voter registration office and ask them to mail them an application.
Contact information for local registrars can be found at www.elections.virginia.gov/localGR.
The last day to request an absentee ballot is Friday, Oct. 23, by 5 p.m. Absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 3, and received by the local voter registration office by noon on Friday, Nov. 6.
Voters can also drop off their marked and sealed ballots at a drop off location at their local voter registration office or polling place up to 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Early in-person voting ends Oct. 31.
Voters do not have to fill out an application to vote in person. You can simply go to your general registrar’s office or satellite voting location, show ID and cast a ballot.
More information about what IDs are considered acceptable can be found at elections.virginia.gov/vote
Because of the anticipated high volume of mail-in votes, the Virginia Department of Elections is urging all those who wish to vote by mail to request and return their ballots as soon as possible.
Voters can track the status of their ballot applications online at www.elections.virginia.gov/voterInformation.
You can also call their local registrar’s office to determine the status of their application.
If you believe you may not safely have a witness present while completing the absentee ballot for the Nov. 3 election, you are not required to have a witness present. Also, if you are blind or have low vision or have impaired manual dexterity, you have the option of voting an absentee ballot using an electronic ballot marking tool.
Voters with questions about absentee, mail-in and in-person voting or any aspect of the Nov. 3 election may call the Virginia Department of Elections at (800) 552-9745, email the department at [email protected], or visit our website at elections.virginia.gov.
Voters are also encouraged to follow us on Twitter at @vaElect, Facebook at @VirginiaELECT and Instagram at @va_election.
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