Monday, October 27, 2008

12 Legitimate Excuses for Voting Early

Virginia law provides for many acceptable reasons for citizens to vote by absentee ballot and avoid the polls on Election Day. For example, you can opt to vote absentee if you:

* Are going to be away from the City on Nov. 4 on business or vacation
* Will be working (or commuting to work) for 11 or more hours between 6am and 7pm on Election Day
* Are unable to vote in person because of a disability or illness
* Are the primary caretaker of a family member who is disabled or ill
* Are pregnant
* Are a student, or the spouse of a student, attending school outside the City of Charlottesville
* Are an active duty member of the U.S. Armed Forces or the U.S. Merchant Marine, or his/her spouse or dependent
* Have a religious obligation or conflict
* Are confined awaiting trial
* Are serving time for a misdemeanor conviction
* Temporarily reside outside of the continental limits of the United States
* Are an election official

With Election Day only a week away, if you want to vote absentee and haven't done so yet, your best bet at this point is to head down to the Registrar of Voters office BY 5:00PM THIS SATURDAY and they'll walk you through the steps -- it's pretty simple and pretty quick and within a matter of minutes, you'll have cast your vote! In Charlottesville, the Registrar of Voters is located on the ground floor of the City Hall Annex; they are open from 8:30am-4:30pm every day this week. For more info., call 970-3250 or click here. (For info. on absentee voting in Albemarle County, call 972-4173 or click here.)

2 comments:

Mama Marathon said...

For those of us in the county, absentee voting can be done at the new county office building on 5th street extended. There's a huge sign telling you where to turn. The folks were very helpful, and even though the office was packed, I was in and out in just minutes, with my "I voted absentee" sticker in hand.

DaveNorris said...

MM -- Thanks for letting us know!