VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — In Virginia, mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Election Day on November 3, but registrars advise voters to avoid waiting until the last minute.
The Virginia Beach Registrar office warns mail-in voters using US Mail Postal Service that First Class delivery could now take 2 to 5 days, up from 1 to 3 days, and Standard delivery could take up to 9 days.
"Please take this into consideration as you start thinking towards vote by mail voting for the election," reads the website.
Ballots will be counted until the Friday after the election.
Earlier this month, the United States Postal Service released a service performance report for the week of October 10. Post Office employees handled more than 3.1 billion pieces of mail, which is 23 percent more than September 2020, according to the report. In terms of delivery, 85 percent of First Class Mail arrived on time, a 0.57 percent decrease from the week of Oct. 3. Nearly 98 percent arrived within two days of the service standard.
"With a record number of people across the country voting by mail, the U.S. Postal Service's number one priority between now and the November election is the secure, timely delivery of the nation's Election Mail," said USPS spokesperson, Freda Sauter.
"USPS continues to process an historic volume of political and election mail this season," said Sauter. "The 630,000 women and men of the Postal Service are deeply committed to our longstanding role in the electoral process, and we are actively working to deliver in this election season.
The postal service plans to implement additional measures, including expedited handling, extra deliveries and special pickups, between October 26 and November 24, which the department says is consistent with past election cycles.
Kenneth Cooper cast his ballot in person Tuesday in Norfolk.
"I would rather come, take the time out to do it face-to-face," said Cooper.
Cooper said he does not want to risk any delays or something being wrong with his ballot.
"I never want that to happen as far as me," he said. "So myself, my friends, my children -- I make sure they go to a voting site and vote."
In Chesapeake, the city registrar office also reminds mail-in voters to sign their name and to use the return envelope that came with the ballot.
Virginians who have already mailed their ballot, can check the status online. The deadline to early vote in-person is Saturday, October 31.