What you need to know about early voting
Election day is November 5, but some voters can cast their ballots as early as September.
PETERSBURG — The first day of early voting for the 2024 election is in the books, and for Petersburg, it was a record-setter.
Within two hours of the registrar office’s 8 a.m. opening time Friday, 103 people had cast ballots. Never in the history of early voting in Virginia had Petersburg recorded 100 ballots on the first day.
By the time the office closed at 5 p.m., that number multiplied more than four and a half times. The final total for the first day in Petersburg was 461.
“We can only hope this interest and momentum that we witnessed today will stay with the citizens,” registrar Dawn Wilmoth told The Progress-Index.
Bigger-than-normal numbers were reported in many other parts of Virginia, including the city of Richmond where more than 1,000 ballots were cast.. Turnout was also heavy in Chesterfield County, and parts of northern Virginia and Tidewater.
Why so busy?
Several factors figure into the turnout.
First, presidential elections traditionally generate good local numbers in Petersburg because they coincide with choosing City Council members in three of the seven wards, the 4th congressional district representative and one of Virginia’s two U.S. senators. Four years ago, 9,900 in-person, absentee and mail ballots were submitted in the early voting period.
Democrats’ passion for the election jumped significantly across the nation when Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden to become the first woman of color and Asian descent to lead a major-party ticket. That energy was reflected in Petersburg, a reliably blue-leaning voting base, with the local chapter of the NAACP mobilizing a major first-day voter drive.
A second voter-turnout driver this year is a referendum on the possibility of a casino in Petersburg. Developers have proposed a multi-million dollar casino, hotel and entertainment complex to anchor a mixed-use development off Wagner Road and Interstate 95 that supporters say could be the biggest recenue injection ever into Petersburg’s economy.
Wilmoth credited the pushes from the NAACP and the pro-casino lobby for the strong first-day totals.
“Normally, we see that number during last week of voting,” she said.
Wilmoth said she does not expect to see record numbers every day.
“Next week, there will be some early interest, then it normally wanes until three weeks out (from Election Day),” she said.
Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.
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Publish date : 2024-09-20 14:47:00
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