Saturday, the police are hosting a Shred-A-Thon to help citizens safely dispose of personal papers; the Police Department picked up two awards recently; and the registrar has some reminders about how to use absentee ballots. Read on for details.
Shred-A-Thon
The County Police Department is hosting a Shred-A-Thon Saturday to help citizens dispose of personal information properly.
About 10 million people every year are victims of identity theft, according to a county press release. One of the best ways of avoiding this is to dispose of documents with personal information in a safe way.
The police will have a shredding truck available from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday at the Williamsburg/James City County Courthouse.
Citizens may stop by and shred a grocery size bag of documents at no charge, $5 for each additional bag. Proceeds will benefit the second Annual Shop with a Cop program that assists underprivileged children and families in James City County.
County Police Win Awards
The James City County Police Department’s traffic safety program picked up first place in the 2011 Virginia Law Enforcement Challenge and second place in the 2011 National Law Enforcement Challenge.
Challenge judges award points to law enforcement agencies in the six areas that comprise a comprehensive traffic safety program: policies and guidelines; training of officers; incentives and recognition; public information and education; enforcement; and an evaluation of the effectiveness of the agency’s efforts.
The awards are given in categories based on the size of the law enforcement agency. James City County competed in the 76-125 officers category.
The Virginia award was presented in August at the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police (VACP) annual conference in Roanoke and the National award was presented at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) annual conference on Oct. 2 in San Diego, California.
Voting by Absentee Ballot
Citizens who qualify can vote an absentee ballot by mail or in-person at the Voter Registrar’s Office as early as 45 days before the November election.
Any voter registered in James City County who is interested in voting with an absentee ballot must complete an absentee ballot application that is available online, at the Voter Registrar’s Office, 101-B Mounts Bay Rd., or by calling 253-6868.
Completed applications for a mailed ballot must be returned to the Voter Registrar’s Office by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 30. Applications can be returned by mail to Voter Registration and Elections, P.O. Box 3567, Williamsburg, VA 23187-3567, by fax to 253-6875 or in person.
Completed applications to vote in person may be submitted until 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3.
For a complete list of qualifications, visit jamescitycountyva.gov/vote or call 253-6868.
Voting an absentee ballot by mail
Voters will receive an absentee ballot in the mail if their application is approved. A completed ballot must be returned to the Voter Registrar’s Office by mail or hand-delivered in person. No one but the ballot’s owner can return a ballot.
All mail-in absentee ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Nov. 6.
Voting an absentee ballot in-person
In person absentee voting is available at the Voter Registrar’s Office Sept. 21 through Nov. 3, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On-site absentee voting will also be available Saturday, Oct. 27, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 3, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Applicants cannot both apply to register to vote in-person and vote absentee in-person at the same time. If a citizen registers to vote in-person, an absentee ballot cannot be issued until five days after registration.
For more information, contact the Voter Registrar’s Office at 253-6868 (TDD: 711) or by email at [email protected].
