VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Lines stretched out the door and around the Virginia Beach registrar's office Friday as early voting kicked off in the Commonwealth for the November election.
13News Now spoke to voters and candidates on both sides of the aisle who were pleasantly surprised by the day's turnout.
"On the first day, this is so exciting," said Republican Robert Dean. "This is what the United States Constitution represents and the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence: the freedom of choice."
Democrats Rosemarie and Michael Herrity echoed a similar sentiment, emphasizing the importance of casting ballots not only in national races, but locally, too.
Michael Herrity said, "It all starts local. School boards, city council, it all starts there."
Rosemarie Herrity added, "If you don’t start at local, you won’t go up the chain. The thing is, if you don’t stand for something, you’ll stand for nothing."
Republican Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02) and her challenger, Democrat Miss Cotter Smasal, both paid a visit to the polls on Friday as well.
At a morning celebration, Cotter Smasal told 13News Now, "It's just an exciting morning, it's a joyful morning. I'm just so proud of everyone who know their vote is important."
Kiggans greeted voters at an afternoon rally at Virginia Beach's Hunt Club Farm, alongside Gov. Glenn Youngkin. She told supporters, "I'm tired of the division, I'm tired of the divisive rhetoric." She added, "We're going to change things and this is the time to do it. I know this morning was pretty crowded at the [registrar's office], so we've got some work to do."
Early voting continues through Nov. 2, the Saturday before Election Day.
