NORFOLK, Va. — It’s a busy time for election offices across the Commonwealth as Friday marked the start of early in-person voting in Virginia for the presidential primary election.
“Getting the signs up, getting the crew together,” said Suffolk General Registrar Burdette Lawrence.
“We’ve been preparing by testing our equipment and ballots for each one of our precincts,” said Norfolk General Registrar Stephanie Iles.
Norfolk Resident Deborah Gallop showed up at city hall this morning, eager to cast her ballot.
“The lines get long," Gallop said. "That’s why I come early to vote.”
“We really look forward to what the public is going to say,” Lawrence said.
When it comes to voter turnout, election officials in Norfolk and Suffolk say it’s always a toss-up.
“2020, March was a Democratic only last time,” Iles said. “Overall we had a 26% turnout for the entire election.”
Though, they’re prepared for what crowds could come out to vote.
“We haven’t had anything so large for presidential turnout," Iles said. "The largest being in 2008, the first Obama year.”
This election comes with a bit more work for officials.
“Because this election is a dual primary, it’s double everything. We have both Democratic and Republican ballots,” Iles said.
Iles said since Virginians don’t register by party, voters will have to indicate whether they’d like a ballot for the Democratic or Republican presidential primary election.
Here are some important deadlines for this election.
- The deadline to register to vote or update an existing registration is February 12th.
- February 23rd is the last day to apply for a mail-in ballot. The local voter registration office must receive the request by 5 pm.
- Voter registration offices will be open for early voting on Saturday, February 24.
- The last day of early in-person voting is March 2nd.
The primary election takes place on March 5th.