Missing the thrill of Virginia's 2023 election cycle? Don't worry, 2024 is just around the corner.

As the dust settles from Virginia’s most recent election, candidates are preparing to ramp up campaigns across the state once again as voters brace for what is promised to be another whirlwind election cycle.

And a recent campaign to change the attitude among Conservatives toward alternative voting methods could mean an influx of ballots cast ahead of Election Day.

"Secure Your Vote Virginia," launched by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in July, proved pivotal for many conservative candidates in the recent local elections. The initiative contributed to Republicans winning 13 statehouse districts that President Joe Biden won in 2020, and nine districts that Congressional Democrats won in 2022, said Ken Nunnenkamp, Executive Director of the Republican Party of Virginia.

"While the ultimate result was not the one we had hoped for in the [Virginia] House and Senate, we did flip several key local offices," he said.

The Virginia GOP plans to prioritize early and absentee voting methods throughout the 2024 election year, despite losing the House of Delegates and failing to flip the State Senate in early November.

Nearly 22% of Republican voters in Virginia's recent, off-year election cast their ballot through early voting, virtually neck-and-neck with Democrats who saw nearly 23% of voters cast their ballot early. Democrats in Virginia, along with the Democratic National Committee, have long championed early voting methods.

The Republican National Committee began a similar state-by-state effort separate from Youngkin's initiative, called “Bank Your Vote,” over the summer to change the minds of conservatives toward early, absentee and mail-in voting. The abrupt about-face among conservative leaders has come after years of derision and allegations of “ballot harvesting” by the Republican Party toward early, absentee and mail-in voting.

With both parties now embracing early voting methods, here are some important dates for all voters to keep in mind.

If you’re in Virginia Beach, start your engines.

The fine folks of Virginia Beach will be the first Virginians to the polls in 2024, with its City Council District 1 Special Election, slated for January 9. The first day of in-person early voting for that race begins on November 22.

Presidential primaries are hot on the heels of the Virginia Beach special election.

Early voting, to finally and thankfully narrow down the fluctuating and dizzying list of primary candidates, will start on January 19. The Presidential primary election date is March 5.

The June primaries aren’t far behind.

The June primaries, or the primaries for all other offices on the ballot in the General Election aside from the Presidential race, will take place on June 18. Early voting for these primaries begins on May 3.

And that brings us to the final stretch.

The General Election will take place on November 5, with early voting slated to begin on September 20.

Candidates seeking office in the General Election include:

• The President of the United States for a 4-year term;

• One US Senator from Virginia for a 6-year term;

• All 11 of Virginia's U.S. Representatives, for 2-year terms;

• 35 City Councils with seats up for grabs across Virginia, with varying terms;

• 22 City School Boards with seats up for grabs across Virginia, with varying terms;

• 161 Town Councils with seats up for grabs across Virginia, with varying terms;

• Two Town School Board with seats up for grabs in undisclosed locations in Virginia, with varying terms;

• And an undisclosed number of mayoral seats in towns and cities across the state.

And by the way, make sure you're registered to vote. Here's how:

Voters can register to vote, check their registration status, find their polling place and apply to vote by absentee mail online at https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation.

The deadline to register for general and primary elections is 22 days before that election is slated to take place. For special elections, the deadline to register is 14 days before the date of the election.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Virginia 2024 election dates coming sooner than you think