2020 Helpful Richmond Election Information
Key Election Dates/Deadlines _____________________________
September 18, 2020 - Absentee voting begins
October 13, 2020 - Deadline to register to vote or update your registration
October 23, 2020; 5:00 P.M. - Deadline to apply for an absentee ballot by mail
October 31, 2020; 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. - Last day to vote in person before Election Day (with limited exceptions)
November 3, 2020; 6:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. - Voting Poll Locations are open
2020 Ballot _______________________________________________
Elected offices on the voting ballot for this year’s general election include U.S. President/Vice-President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, 4th Voter District, Richmond City Council, Mayor of Richmond, and Richmond Public Schools Board of Trustees.
The ballot will also
include a Constitutional amendment.
Voting Options ___________________________________________
Absentee
by Mail
New
laws allow all Virginians to vote absentee by mail, or in person at their local
registrar’s office or satellite locations. This year a previous provision that
required absentee voters to provide a reason for voting early was removed, so
any Virginia voter may vote early without providing a specific reason.
Beginning September 18, Virginia General Voter Registrars across the state will mail absentee ballots to voters who request them. Virginians can request a ballot online at elections.virginia.gov. The last day to request an absentee ballot by mail is Friday, October 23 at 5:00 p.m.
All absentee ballots will include a return envelope with prepaid postage. Ballots with a postmark of November 3, 2020 or earlier will be accepted until noon on Friday, November 6, 2020.
As an additional layer of security, every absentee ballot envelope is required to have an intelligent mail barcode and an election mail insignia. The insignia tells the United States Postal Service that this piece of mail is a ballot and should be prioritized. The barcode lets voters track their ballot once it leaves the registrar’s office—so a voter will know when their ballot has been mailed to them, and when it is delivered back to the registrar. Voters can track their absentee ballot using the absentee ballot look-up tool available here.
Drop-off
Locations
Absentee
ballots may also be hand delivered to your local Office of the General
Registrar of Voters or returned to a secure drop-off location, which include
any satellite voting location.
On Election Day, you can also drop off your completed absentee ballot at any polling place in the county or city in which you are registered to vote.
Voting
Early In Person
Starting
September 18, Virginia voters can vote absentee in person at their local Commonwealth
of Virginia Office of the General Registrar of Voters. Voters can simply go to
their local Office of the General Registrar of Voters or a satellite voting
location identified by their local Office of the General Registrar of Voters
and cast their vote. Voters may use this option through Saturday, October 31,
2020, which is one of the longest early voting periods of any state.
Voting
on Election Day
Virginia
Voter Polling Precinct Locations will be open on Election Day, Tuesday,
November 3, 2020 from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. for those wishing voting in person
at their local Voter Polling Precinct Location. Virginia has allocated federal
CARES Act funding to ensure that all election officers have personal protective
equipment, and Virginia Medical Reserve Corps volunteers will assist at polling
places to ensure social distancing and sanitization measures are followed.
Some Richmond Voter Polling Locations have moved ______
Precinct 203 has moved from the Hermitage Methodist Home to the Arthur Ashe Center, at 3017 North Arthur Ashe Boulevard. Please note that voters will be sharing this facility with another precinct so look for your precinct sign when you go to vote.
Precinct 206 has moved from Dominion Place to the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Contemporary Art, at 601 West Broad Street.
Precinct 207 has moved from Retreat Hospital to the Museum of History and Culture, at 428 North Arthur Ashe Boulevard.
Precinct 412 has moved from Heritage Oaks Retirement Community to the Richmond Public Schools Lucille M. Brown Middle School, at 6300 Jahnke Road.
Precinct
702 has moved from the
Fairmount House to the Sarah Garland Jones Center, at 2600 Nine Mile Road.
Central
Absente Precinct
The Commonwealth of Virginia - Richmond
Office of the General Registrar of Voters Central Absente
Precinct is where absentee ballots
are counted (Instead of the regular precinct). This has moved from the 5th
Floor Conference Room in Richmond City Hall to the new location of the Richmond Office of the General Registrar of Voters,
located at 2134 West Laburnum Avenue, in Richmond’s Northside.
Two
additional Richmond Voting Locations
The Commonwealth of Virginia - Richmond
Office of the General Registrar of Voters is adding two additional
in-person voting locations in the week before the Election. These locations
will only operate before November elections. They will have the same hours as
the Registrar’s headquarters, and run Saturday, October 24 through Saturday
October 31, 2020. Locations are as follows:
· - Richmond
City Hall, 900 East Broad Street (enter from Broad Street).
· - Richmond’s Hickory Hill Community Center, 3000 E. Belt Boulevard.
Voting Location and Registration __________________________
Check your Voter Polling Precinct Location and/or register
to vote, at
https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation
Additional
Helpful Information _____________________________
Virginia Still Requires ID, but now accepts more than just one
photo ID
Acceptable forms of ID include: your voter registration notice;
Virginia DMV issued photo ID; U.S. Passport; other federal or Virginia
government issued ID; college student ID’s (can now be out of state); Virginia
student high school ID; employee photo ID; or, any current utility bill, bank
statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document with your
name and address. A full list of all acceptable forms of ID can be found at
www.elections.virginia.gov. If you don’t have ID, you will have to fill out an
ID Confirmation Statement. Voters who do not have an acceptable ID and don’t
sign the Confirmation Statement will be offered a provisional ballot.
Offices and Candidate info
Information about offices, candidates and questions
is posted on the Virginia Department of Election’s website www.elections.virginia.gov.
Elections
General Election Days are always on the first
Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Primary election days – if called –
are held the third Tuesday in June. Presidential primary elections are on the
first Tuesday in March.
Help
at Voter Polls
If you need help or make a mistake on your ballot
and need another one, just ask an Election Officer. They are there to help.
Registering to vote
If you
have a Virginia DMV issued ID, you can register, update your registration or
apply for an absentee ballot online and paperlessly at www.elections.virginia.gov.
Information
______________________________________________
Please
contact the Commonwealth of Virginia - Richmond Office of the General Registrar
to check/confirm your election information and/or for questions, comments, or
assistance, at: VoterRegistration@richmondgov.com (email);
804.646.5950 (tel); www.richmondgov.com/Registrar/index.aspx (web)
Vote Richmond
__________________________________________
Richmond City Council
encourages all eligible Richmond residents to vote.
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