Early voting in Virginia starts tomorrow

The Office of Elections plans to keep voting stations clean to prevent voters from contracting COVID-19. [Fairfax County government]

Early voting in person begins this Friday, Sept. 18, at the Fairfax County Government Center. Here’s what you need to know about voting:

Early voting in person 

Fairfax County citizens can vote Mondays to Fridays, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., at the Fairfax County Government Center. Voting will also be available on Saturdays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sept. 19, and on Oct. 14-31. The government center is at 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax. 

Click here to see what’s on the ballot. 

You no longer need an excuse to vote early or bring a photo ID, but you will need a driver’s license, bank statement, current utility bill, paycheck, or other acceptable ID. 

Beginning Oct. 14, early voting will be available at 13 other locations throughout the county – including the Mason Government Center and Thomas Jefferson Library – 1- 7 p.m., Mondays to Fridays, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays. 

The last chance to vote early in person is 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Early voting by mail

If you want to vote absentee by mail, you’ll need to submit an application. To apply, you’ll need your Virginia driver’s license number and the last four digits of your Social Security number.

Due to the anticipated surge in applications, Fairfax County election officials strongly recommend people apply well before the Friday, Oct. 23, deadline since mail delivery could be slower, according to the U.S. Postal Service.

You can track the status of your ballot here.  

Absentee ballots will start being mailed on Sept. 18. Election officials anticipate that more than 100,000 ballots will be mailed out initially, so it will take time for them to reach voters.

If you plan to use the U.S. Postal Service to mail your ballot, allow a minimum of two weeks for delivery of your completed ballot.

The deadline for mailed absentee ballots to be received by the Office of Elections is noon on Nov. 6. Ballots must be postmarked no later than Nov. 3.

What if you requested a ballot by mail and want to vote early in person? You can do that, but you’ll need to bring your mail-in ballot to an early voting location. You must hand over the ballot to a poll worker, who will give you a new ballot to vote in person. 

If you don’t want to mail back your cast ballot, you can take it to the Office of Elections or return it at a drop-off box at any early voting site during the hours they’re open. There also will be a 24-hour secure, drop-off box available outside the Fairfax County Government Center starting the week of Sept. 21.

Fairfax County is expected to provide more information on drop boxes.  

What happens if you applied for an absentee ballot and didn’t receive it? Got to your regular polling place on Election Day. The poll workers will let you vote provisionally. 

Voting on Election Day

The polls will be open 6 a.m.-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. 

Visit the Virginia Department of Elections website to look up your polling place. 

Register to vote

The last day to register to vote is Oct. 13. The deadline is 5 p.m. if registering in person and 11:59 p.m. if registering online. 

Check your voter registration status here. 

Restoration of voting rights

People who’ve been convicted of a felony in Virginia automatically lose their right to vote. 

Under the Virginia Constitution, the governor has the sole discretion to restore voting rights to felons after they’ve been released from incarceration.

Contact the secretary of the commonwealth online or call 804-692-0104 to request the restoration of voting rights.