What’s Changed for Virginia’s Elections?

Virginia has several state elections coming up, not to mention the presidential election in November. However, with COVID-19 putting limitations on social gatherings, most face-to-face events have been or will be cancelled. The governor issued executive orders 59 and 56 that rescheduled the May elections to May 19 and the June primaries to June 29 respectively. 

Polling stations will be open for the May election and June primaries. It is also stated in both documents that “The Department of Elections shall also prescribe procedures in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Virginia Department of Health to assist in ensuring the safety and well-being of election officials, officers of election, and voters.” Both documents also state the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Medical Corps will partner with the Department of Elections to train officials and “provide support at polling locations.”

Despite the precautions, some may still not want to risk travelling to polling locations. In this case, absentee voting will be the best option. To acquire an absentee ballot, visit the Virginia Department of Elections website. One can apply online, in-person, by mail, fax, or email. 

On the Department of Elections website, it says, “Voting absentee in the coming May and June elections is strongly encouraged. Voters may choose reason ‘2A My disability or illness’ for absentee voting in the May and June 2020 elections due to COVID-19.”

I applied for absentee voting online and what follows is a step-by-step process on how to complete the request. The first step is entering first and last name, date of birth, social security number, and locality. After entering in this information it brings you to a screen that displays your voting information. From here, you can check the box that says, “I want to apply for absentee voting” and then continue. Next is a questionnaire with a few simple questions. The last step is providing a virtual signature and then a final overview of the information you provided. After that, all that is left is to wait for a ballot to be mailed.

For more information regarding the upcoming elections and deadlines, visit https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/calendars-schedules/upcoming-elections.html