With safety in mind – we’re still in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic after all – the city of Williamsburg will be allowing curbside voting and provide a dropbox for absentee ballots.
In-person early voting starts Friday and absentee ballots will be mailed to those who have requested to vote by mail, according to a news release from the city.
Voters are no longer required to have an approved reason to vote earlier than Election Day – Nov. 3 – due to legislation passed earlier this year.
City voters can cast their ballots in-person at the Municipal Building, either curbside or inside the Registrar’s Office, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, starting Sept. 18.
The office will also be open two Saturdays this election season: Oct. 24 and 31, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. both days. The Municipal Building is located at 401 Lafayette St., according to the news release.
Those who choose to vote curbside should park in the designated spaces and call 757-220-6157. Someone from the Registrar’s Office will come outside to check ID and issue a ballot.
Those who choose to vote inside will have their temperature checked before entering; face coverings and physical distancing are required. Only four people are allowed inside the Registrar’s Office at a time, officials said.
Anyone who has a temperature of 100 degrees or higher will be asked to vote curbside.
Absentee ballots can be returned to a dropbox outside the front doors of the Municipal Building or sent through the mail. Ballots sent through the mail must be postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 3, and received no later than noon Friday, Nov. 6.
Details on the voting procedures for Election Day will be released later this month.
To request an absentee ballot or register to vote, contact Tina Reitzel at 757-220-6157 or treitzel@williamsburgva.gov.
The last day to register is Tuesday, Oct. 13.
More information can be found here.
