2020 Election – 411

Make a PLAN to VOTE

Worried about voting in person? Don’t be scared — be prepared!

  • REGISTER TO VOTE (& CHECK YOUR STATUS)

DEADLINE: Oct. 13, 2020

You can’t vote if you’re not on the rolls. Check your registration now to make sure you’re all set — especially if you’ve moved recently, haven’t voted in a while, or will have turned 18 by Nov. 3. Same goes for your friends and loved ones! You can check your status, see where you’re registered to vote, and register new voters or update an existing registration at the Virginia Department of Elections’s Citizen Portal.

  •  VOTE EARLY –  Friday, Sept. 18 – Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020

Don’t want to bother with a mail-in ballot? Feel comfortable masking up and venturing out in person? Between the dates above, Virginians can vote early at their local registrar’s office. Ours is located at 1600 5th St in Charlottesville; Dems outside of Albemarle County can look up their nearest office online.

The office will be open for voting from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For the two Saturdays before the election — Oct. 24 and Oct. 31 — the office will also be open for voting, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

You no longer need an excuse to vote early, and the forms of ID you can bring to establish your identity now include:

            • Photo IDs (still work, too, but they’re no longer the only way you’ll be allowed to vote)
            • voter registration cards
            • current bank statements or
            • other official documents with your name and address.
  • REQUEST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT

DEADLINE: Oct. 23, 2020

We’re working on updated videos for how to vote by mail in November, and we’ll share them here as soon as they’re ready! For now, you can request a mail-in ballot for November’s election using the Citizen Portal. You’ll need your Virginia driver’s license and Social Security number to complete the online application. Once you’ve answered a few simple questions, you’re signed up to get a mail ballot. (Wondering when you’ll get yours? Virginia starts mailing them out 45 days before the election.)

      • Don’t want to apply online? Print out this form, read the instructions on the second page, fill it out, and mail your completed application for an absentee ballot to:
        Albemarle County Voter Registration
        PMB 160
        435 Merchant Walk Sq Ste 300
        Charlottesville, VA 22902-6514
  • RESEARCH THE CANDIDATES

DEADLINE: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020

You know you’re voting blue this fall — but what if you meet friends who are on the fence? Get all the information you need to help persuade them from our previous editions, which have information about how Dr. Cameron Webb and Bob Good (R – Dystopia) match up in the House, and how Sen. Mark Warner and Daniel Gade compare in the Senate race. (We’re reasonably certain you’re already clear on the differences between Vice President Joe Biden and … you know. Whatsisface. The orange guy.)