Early voting starts Friday: Here’s how to cast your ballot in Hampton Roads

Gavin Stone, The Virginian-Pilot
·4 min read

Early and absentee voting for the Nov. 8 general election starts today. Here is what voters need to know in order to cast a ballot early in Hampton Roads.

The deadline to register to vote or update an existing registration is Oct. 17 — 5 p.m. in person and 11:59 p.m. online. To register, go to www.elections.virginia.gov/registration/how-to-register/ or contact your local Board of Elections.

Anyone can vote early or request an absentee ballot. A little more than a third of the 3.2 million votes in Virginia’s November 2021 elections were cast through early voting or absentee ballot.

Completed absentee ballots can be dropped off at the general registrar’s office or polling location on Election Day. The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail is 5 p.m. Oct. 28. Witness signatures are required on all absentee ballots cast in this year’s election. If a ballot is submitted without a signature, the voter will be contacted within three days of receipt by their local election office and asked to correct it. The deadline to correct an absentee ballot is Nov. 14, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.

The last day to vote early in-person is Nov. 5.

For more information about the candidates running for office in Hampton Roads, check out the online voter guide by The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press. The guide and additional election coverage, can be found at www.pilotonline.com/government/elections/.

Here are the early voting locations for the six largest cities in Hampton Roads:

  • Chesapeake: The General Registrar’s Office at 411 Cedar Road will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and on Saturday Oct. 29; and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 5.

  • Hampton: The General Registrar’s Office at 101 Kings Way will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and on Saturday Oct. 29; from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 30; and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 5.

  • Newport News: City Hall at 2400 Washington Ave. on the sixth floor will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Starting Tuesday, a satellite location at Fountain Plaza II at 700 Town Center Drive in the first floor conference room, will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. Both locations will be open on Saturday, Oct. 29 and from from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 5; and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30.

  • Norfolk: The Norfolk Office of Elections at 810 Union St., Suite 100 will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and on Saturday, Oct. 29; and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 5. Additionally, beginning Oct. 21, Norfolk will open four satellite voting locations: the Berkley Recreation Center, Jordan-Newby Anchor Branch Library, Lambert’s Point Community Center, and the Mary D. Pretlow Anchor Branch Library. For full operating schedules of the satellite locations, visit www.norfolk.gov/706/Office-of-Elections.

  • Portsmouth: The Office of the General Registrar in City Hall at 801 Crawford St. on the first floor will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday,, and on Saturday, Oct. 29; from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 5.

  • Virginia Beach: The primary voting location, Building 14 of the Municipal Center at 2449 Princess Anne Road, will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and on Saturday, Oct. 29; from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 5; and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 2. The operating hours for the city’s four other satellite voting locations, which will begin early voting on Oct. 24, (Bayside Recreational Center, Great Neck Recreation Center, Seatack Recreation Center, and M.E. Oberndorf Central Library) are listed online at www.vbgov.com/government/departments/voter-registrar/Documents/Election_Schedule.pdf.

To vote early in person, Virginia voters must bring a valid form of identification, such as a voter registration confirmation documents, a Virginia driver’s license or a United States passport. Additional information about qualifying documents can be found on the Virginia Department of Election’s website. Voters without proper identification can cast a provisional ballot.

The Virginia Department of Elections this week urged voters to check their voting district and polling locations this election cycle because of the changes made following the 2020 Census. To find your district and polling location, visit vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation/Lookup/polling or contact your local election office.

Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806 gavin.stone@virginimedia.com