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The Virginia Department of Elections announced that early voting began April 23. Also, absentee ballots will be sent to all voters who have requested a ballot by mail.

Voters no longer need a reason to vote absentee. 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. They can also find a vote-by-mail ballot form at elections.virginia.gov/forms. Or they can contact their 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 5 p.m. Friday, May 28. Absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by Election Day, June 8, and received by the local voter registration office by noon on Friday, June 11. 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.

In-person voting ends June 5, 2021. Voters do not have to fill out an application to vote in person. Voters can simply go to their 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/voterID.

If you believe you may not safely have a witness present while completing the absentee ballot for the June 8 primary 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. More about accessible voting options can be found at elections.virginia.gov/accessible.

Voters with questions about the June 8 primary election may call the Virginia Department of Elections at 800-552-9745, email the department at info@elections.virginia.gov, 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.