Overview
- In‑person early voting began in Virginia on Sept. 18, with polling sites open through Oct. 31 and official location and deadline details posted by the Virginia Department of Elections.
- Virginia’s ballot includes a U.S. Senate race between Mark Warner and Bert Mizusawa, several competitive House contests notably in the 1st and 2nd districts, and three constitutional amendments on reproductive rights, same‑sex marriage language, and automatic restoration of felony voting rights.
- A handful of other states have already started limited in‑person absentee voting or will begin expanded early voting on different schedules, reflecting wide state-by‑state variation in rules for ID, mail‑ballot requests, and counting deadlines.
- Election officials say operations are prepared and secure, while the U.S. Supreme Court this week blocked the President’s effort to impose new federal mail‑voting restrictions and Virginia’s attorney‑general has sought answers about federal searches of voter rolls.
- The early‑voting push follows decades of state expansion of pre‑Election Day voting and a contentious mid‑decade redistricting cycle that changed many districts, factors that could affect turnout, local administration and the November balance of power in Congress.