Absentee voting got off to a quick start, with 1,047 of Alexandria's 101,573 active registered voters (just more than 1 percent) casting in-person absentee ballots at the Office of Voter Registration and Elections on Friday in the City of Alexandria. Friday was the first day of in-person absentee voting, and also the first day that mail-in absentee ballots were sent to voters who requested them. Fairfax County did not release figures, but lines were out the door on the first day (Friday, Sept. 18) and people started lining up at 4:30 a.m. to vote on Saturday, Sept. 19.
On the first day of early voting, lines at the Fairfax County Government Center are out the door (but don’t worry, there are many more days left to vote early and more locations will open in October). #Election2020 pic.twitter.com/HaR06mAYO5 — Fairfax County Government 😷 (@fairfaxcounty) September 18, 2020
Due to the pandemic, many states have worked to increase the availability of early and other absentee voting options. That has drawn ire from some politicians who want to limit mail-in and early voting, despite concerns health officials have about crowds on Election Day, Nov. 3. In Virginia, you no longer need an "excuse" to vote absentee, including early voting and mail-in voting. Not sure if you're registered (or if your registration is current)? You can check here. For more information about early voting and mail-in voting, see this article: How to Vote Early, Absentee or through Mail-In Voting in Alexandria and Fairfax County. Who's On the Ballot? While the race for President of the United States has drawn significant attention, there are many other things to vote on now (or this November). Here are other races that will be on your ballot: U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D) is running for re-election against Republican challenger Daniel M. Gade. U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D) is running for re-election against Republican challenger Jeff A. Jordan in Virginia's 8th District. The Virginia Senate and House of Delegates elections are in 2021. Constitutional Amendments There are two Constitutional Amendment questions for the Commonwealth of Virginia on the ballot.
Amendment 1: Currently, the General Assembly and the Governor are responsible for drawing new election districts for the U.S. House of Representatives, the state Senate, and the Virginia House of Delegates. The amendment asks if this responsibility should be changed to a bipartisan commission that includes residents. "Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to establish a redistricting commission, consisting of eight members of the General Assembly and eight citizens of the Commonwealth, that is responsible for drawing the congressional and state legislative districts that will be subsequently voted on, but not changed by, the General Assembly and enacted without the Governor's involvement and to give the responsibility of drawing districts to the Supreme Court of Virginia if the redistricting commission fails to draw districts or the General Assembly fails to enact districts by certain deadlines?" Amendment 2: The second amendment questions asks whether service-disabled veterans should be exempted from certain state and local taxes. The question asks: "Should an automobile or pickup truck that is owned and used primarily by or for a veteran of the United States armed forces or the Virginia National Guard who has a one hundred percent service-connected, permanent, and total disability be free from state and local taxation?" Learn more about both of the amendments here.