CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Early voting got off to a slow start on the first day in Albemarle County with registrar Jonell McFadden reporting, as of 11 a.m. Thursday, that only 15 had shown up to vote at the 5th St. County Office Building Annex in the August 4 primaries, and four of them were elections officials.
“It’s at an odd time, there’s plenty of people on vacation and also we opened the day before a holiday,” McFadden told Cville Right Now. “You know, historically primaries in Albemarle have very low turnout, so we’ll see if that’s the case certainly through next week if its full again then it will probably be right on target.”
In Charlottesville and Albemarle, Republicans have two primaries: three candidates seeking the nomination for the U.S. Senate, and two seeking the nomination for the 5th District U.S. House.
Democrats only have one primary with three candidates seeking the nomination for the 5th District U.S. House.
Even though there are two Republican primaries and one Democratic, McFadden said mail-in ballots Albemarle County sent out for early voting were Democrats by a wide margin.
McFadden said they sent out about 4800 mail-in ballots voters requested for the Democratic primary and 950 for voters in the Republican primaries.
She said they mailed out those ballots Wednesday
“I just want to remind people who have absentee ballots to wait a few days for them to come in,” McFadden said. “I would say wait a week, or even ten days, as we’ve just mailed those out and they’ll get to you. We were just hoping that people would wait a little longer for their ballots.
She reminded those getting those mail-in ballots to avoid a problem registrars found prominent in early voting for the April 21 constitutional amendment ballots.
“I would remind everybody to make sure when they send their ballot back, mail it back, be sure it’s in the ‘B’ envelope and that the ‘B’ envelope is completely filled out on the side where all the writing and directions are,” McFadden said.
Voters going to the polls need to have an acceptable form of ID which does not have to be a photo ID.
“Usually people use their driver’s license that happens to have a photo on it, but there are many others like passports, the voter ID card,” she said. “There are several acceptable IDs that may be used.”
She noted for people voting early in-person, construction is still going on at the intersection and the County Office Building Annex and voters can follow the signs to get them to the right place to park and enter the building to vote.
“The voting is in Conference Room A, where it has been traditionally,” McFadden said. “You don’t go to the main doors to get to the voting anymore and when you’re facing the building it’s on the left hand side.”
Also new this election cycle is as a result of a law change going into effect July 1, two Sundays have been added to the early voting calendar in addition to the two Saturdays.
So, starting this election, early voting locations will open Sunday, July 19 and Sunday, July 26, in addition to the Saturday dates of July 25 and August 1.
Some deadlines for this primary are July 24 as the last day to register to vote and cast a regular ballot, and to request an absentee ballot either by mail or online.
July 25 begins same-day registration where one may register to vote and cast a provisional ballot until it is approved by confirming the voter’s ID and eligibility.
All mailed in ballots that were postmarked by Election Day Aug. 4 by the general registrar’s office by noon Aug. 7.
The deadline for local boards to certify provisional ballots in Aug. 11.
Finally, the State Board of Elections certifies the primaries’ result Aug. 18.
The in-person polls in Albemarle and Charlottesville are closed for holidays June 19 (Juneteenth) and July 3 (Independence Day), but are open the other days Monday-through-Friday and the designated early voting Saturdays and Sundays.
