Virginia absentee-voting deadlines approaching

The Virginia Department of Elections announces two upcoming deadlines for voters wishing to participate in the Nov. 5 General Election via an absentee ballot.

• ·Voters wishing to mail their absentee ballot have until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29 to request a ballot through their local voter registration office or the Virginia Department of Elections Citizen Portal at www.elections.virginia.gov/citizen-portal. The local registrar must receive all applications by the deadline in order to mail absentee ballots to eligible recipients in time for the election.
• Absentee voters have until Nov. 2 to visit their local voter registration office and vote in-person absentee. The local offices will be open Saturday, Oct. 26, and Saturday, Nov. 2, for individuals wishing to cast their absentee ballots in person.
• Voters also may visit their local voter registration office during regular business hours through Nov. 2 to vote absentee in-person.
• Voters can find information about their local voter registration office online at www.elections.virginia.gov/vro.
• All absentee ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5, in order to be counted.

Absentee ballot application forms can be found online at www.elections.virginia.gov/forms. These application forms may be submitted online, by e-mail, by fax or by mail. The Virginia Department of Elections is committed to providing absentee ballot access to all qualified voters. To see if you qualify to vote absentee, visit www.elections.virginia.gov/absentee.

The Department of Elections encourages voters who are requesting absentee ballots sent by mail to apply well ahead of the Oct. 29 deadline, as the U.S. 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.

Voters who wish to cast an absentee ballot in person must present acceptable photo identification. Voters who do not have an acceptable form of ID still may cast their ballot after completing the Virginia Voter Photo Identification Card Application and receiving a Temporary Identification Document from their voter registration office. More information on acceptable IDs is available online at www.elections.virginia.gov/voterid.

Voters can find more information about the November 5 General Election at www.vote.virginia.gov.