Election Day is tomorrow! And thanks to your Democratic majority, casting your ballot in Virginia has never been safer, easier, or more secure.
If you have not yet voted in the 2021 General Election, then this newsletter should serve as a comprehensive guide to ensuring your voice is heard this year.
If you have already voted early in person or by mail, first check your voting history with the Virginia Department of Elections to make sure your vote has been counted. Next, reach out to three friends, family members, coworkers, neighbors, or acquaintances and make sure they have a plan to vote. You might hear this request a lot and wonder whether it really makes a difference. It does! Personally motivating your community members to get out and vote is the best way to keep voter turnout high – and that’s how we win.
Returning a Mail-In Ballot
If you have already applied for and received a mail-in ballot, it’s not too late to return your completed ballot. Technically, the law only requires a completed mail-in ballot to be postmarked by Election Day (November 2) and be received by your local registrar by noon on the third day after the election (November 5). However, we advise everyone not to wait until this deadline. To ensure your ballot is counted, you should personally hand it in at your local registrar’s office TODAY (Monday) or before 7pm TOMORROW (Tuesday).
Prince William County Office of Elections – Office of the General Registrar
9250 Lee Ave, Suite 1
Manassas, VA 20110
703-792-6470
Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm
Remember: You no longer need an excuse to vote early/absentee, but a witness signature is required on mail-in ballots this year. If a ballot is missing a witness signature, the voter will be contacted within three days of receipt by the local voter registration office and asked to correct it. The ballot must be corrected by noon on Friday, November 5.
Voting In Person
The polls are open on Election Day, November 2, from 6am until 7pm. Find your polling place here. You must be registered to vote and show an accepted form of identification before casting your ballot. Acceptable IDs include:
- Voter confirmation documents you received after registering to vote
- Virginia DMV-issued driver’s license or ID card
- Valid US passport
- Any ID card issued by the US, Virginia, or a local Virginia government
- Any student ID card issued by a US college or university
- Valid student ID issued by a school in Virginia
- Employer-issued photo ID card
- Any current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document with your name and address
- An ID confirmation statement
- See more
If you don’t have one of these forms of ID, you may sign an ID Confirmation Statement at the polls. Anyone without an acceptable form of ID who refuses to sign an ID Confirmation Statement will be able to vote via provisional ballot.
Voter Accessibility
Voters with a disability should be able to vote in the same private and independent manner as a voter without a disability.
Every polling place should have:
- Accessible parking spaces
- Signage indicating accessible entrances and routes at the voting location
- At least one accessible voting booth with a chair
- Seating available in the waiting area
- Sufficient space for voters in wheelchairs
- Notepads for communicating in writing
- Magnifiers for viewing election materials and the ballot
- At least one voting machine equipped for voters with disabilities
- Election officials ready to aid with reading or completing forms or provide assistance accommodating a physical disability. Voters with a disability may also bring their own assistant
- Curbside voting available for those with physical disabilities or age 65 or older. If you want to take advantage of curbside voting, park in the designated curbside parking space at the voting location and follow the directions on any signage. You can call ahead to alert the polling place that you are coming or bring a helper with you who can enter the polling place to request assistance if necessary
If you have any questions regarding voter accessibility, please contact your local registrar or the Virginia Department of Elections at 800-552-9745, TTY 711, or info@elections.virginia.gov. You can submit an accessibility complaint at https://www.elections.virginia.gov/voter-complaints/.
Your Voting Rights
Know that your right to vote is protected. From language barriers to voter intimidation, the ACLU can offer guidance for various scenarios.
You can always call the nonpartisan voter protection hotline:
- English: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).
- Spanish: 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682)
- Arabic: 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287)
- Asian languages: 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683)
It is illegal to intimidate, threaten, or coerce someone in order to interfere with their right to vote. Report any voter intimidation to your local registrar’s office.
Your Ballot
Here is a sample ballot for the November 2021 General Election:
To keep Virginia moving forward, not backward, I hope you will vote for Terry McAuliffe for Governor, Hala Ayala for Lieutenant Governor, Mark Herring for Attorney General, and Luke Torian for Delegate.
In the time since you voted in a Democratic majority to the General Assembly, our Commonwealth has made remarkable, transformative progress. We have delivered on every priority: voting rights, criminal justice reform, workers’ rights, affordable health care, reproductive rights, gun safety, LGBT+ protections, clean energy, immigrant rights, and more. Virginia today is nearly unrecognizable from the state that was ranked dead last for workers’ rights, celebrated Confederate generals, and fought to shut down women’s health centers just a few years ago. At the same time, we have exceeded economic forecasts, supported small businesses, and attracted major economic development. The GOP candidates on the ballot want to undo all our progress and drag Virginia into a mess of bigotry, banned books, and culture wars. That’s not a platform or a plan. It’s just wrong for Virginia. Please vote to keep Virginia moving forward.
If you have a question about voting in the 52nd district that cannot be answered by the resources detailed above, please reach out to my office at 703-785-2224 or info@delegatetorian.com. Thank you – let’s get out the vote and win this election!