HAMPTON, Va. — Voting mailers are causing some confusion for voters in Hampton, after a non-profit organization recently sent out absentee ballot request forms with the former return address for the Hampton Voter Registrar's Office.
"I just want to make sure my vote counts," said James Johnson, a Hampton voter who received a letter and application in the mail. "It piqued my interest after I opened it because the form was already filled out and it had my name, phone number, zip code, everything."
Johnson - a strong voting advocate and a retired Hampton City Schools behavioral specialist - said he was concerned after checking the address of the Hampton Voter Registrar's Office and noticing it was incorrect.
"[I don't want voters to] think that they voted, or they'll get the ballot in the mail, and they wait and wait and then the election will come and the election [ends] and you didn’t get to vote and you wonder what happened," Johnson said.
Earlier this month, the Hampton Voter Registrar's Office moved from 1919 Commerce Drive to the Old Circuit Courthouse at 101 Kings Way.
The 1919 Commerce Drive address was listed on the return envelope.
However, despite concerns from Johnson and others, the Registrar's Office said it is still forwarding mail from the former address.
The Voter Participation Center and the Center for Voter Information - the non-profit and non-partisan group voting advocacy organization that sent the absentee ballot applications - said voters will receive absentee ballots in the mail if they fill out and send in the forms.
"Hampton city voters do not need to worry: vote-by-mail applications sent out by the Voter Participation Center and Center for Voter Information are already being received by the Hampton City election office. The Hampton city election office has affirmed that all mail sent to the former address will be forwarded to the updated mailing address," said Alexa Shaffer, VPC and CVI spokesperson.
Shaffer said the organization had already printed the first two rounds of vote-by-mail applications by the time of the address change and said a third and final round of mailouts will have the updated address.
In total, VPC/CVI are mailing 39,998 applications to 34,536 people in Hampton before November's election.
Across the Commonwealth, the non-profit is mailing 1.67 million applications to more than 1.44 million registered voters.
Most voters in Virginia chose to vote absentee during the 2020 Presidential election.
Still, Johnson said he'll vote like he always has.
"I think I’ll stick with the old-fashioned way, showing up in person," he said.