Here’s where Virginia Beach stands on voter turnout and certification of 2018 election results

VIRGINIA BEACH — The votes are in, and the city’s voter registration and elections office has been busy working to review the elections and certify its results.

General Registrar Donna Patterson will certify the local election on Tuesday and the state is expected to certify the election results of all 133 localities on Nov. 19.

Here’s is some interesting local numbers about the 2018 elections, according to City Manager Dave Hansen’s weekly update, as well what to expect in the coming weeks.

• Virginia Beach has 307,411 registered voters, which was the second highest in Virginia behind Fairfax County. More than 169,175 voters cast ballots in this election, and provisional ballots are still being finalized.
• Election night results are always unofficial. The canvass, or review of the election, started last Wednesday morning. The General Registrar’s Office has seven days to certify the election locally, according to state law. The State Board of Elections will certify the results of the election at its meeting on Nov. 19
• Patterson’s office added more than 20 temporary workers and volunteers to their normal staff of 12 to help with canvassing of the election.

Related story: Close elections in Virginia Beach bring up one word: Recount

• More than 1,200 election officials or poll workers and more than 200 student election pages were recruited and trained for Election Day.
• Virginia Beach has 100 polling locations; an additional location was added and served as the “Central Absentee Precinct” where all absentee ballots were counted.
• Absentee voting starts 45 days before each election; this year, 14,999 voters cast absentee ballots
  • 7,789 voted absentee in-person
  • Of the 9,471 absentee ballots issued by mail or email, 7,441 were returned by the deadline

Because the mayoral special election was to fill a vacancy, Virginia Code allows Mayor-Elect Bobby Dyer to take office after he qualifies. The city is planning a small reception and Oath of Office ceremony beginning at 2 p.m. on Nov. 20. in Building 19 of the Virginia Beach Municipal Center.