NORFOLK, Va. — Some Norfolk voters report they're now struggling with a process that's worked for thousands of early voters - requesting an absentee ballot online.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Friday, concerning registered voters who say they're receiving error messages when filling out their information on the Virginia Department of Election portal.
“I click on that and do the stuff it says and I get that error message," said John Loizides.
In messages to 13News Now Investigative Reporter Evan Watson, Norfolk voters shared two different error messages. One reads: "We’re sorry. Due to unforeseen circumstances we’re unable to process your request at this time."
Another reads: "We’re sorry. We do not find a voter matching the information provided."
The small group of voters experiencing issues said they're positive they are registered to vote, and they didn't think it would be an issue applying for an absentee ballot online the week before the deadline.
“My wife and I both – I’m going on 80 years old and she’s going on 78 and I’ve got injury problems with my knee and we thought rather than standing in line on Election Day we’d try to vote by mail," Loizides said. “We can still go over and vote that way but this would make it a lot easier for us."
An election worker with the Norfolk Office of Elections said any voter receiving an error message through the state application portal should call their local registrar's office to get it resolved and hear their options.
She said the error messages could be a Virginia Department of Elections issue and said she did not know of any Norfolk-specific problem, despite the voters all claiming to be registered in Norfolk.
The Virginia Department of Elections has yet to respond to calls and emails about the error messages from 13News Now.
There are other ways for voters to request absentee ballots. Voters can fill out paperwork in-person at their election office or mail in a request by Friday.
In-person early voting in Virginia is an option through Oct. 31, and voters can cast their ballots in person on Election Day.