By Isabella Custard
Carol Wheeler has lived in Virginia for over 40 years and always votes early in an election.
“There’s so much politics in the news, and if you make up your mind and you know how you
want to vote, it’s just nice to be able to vote and get it registered,” she said.
Virginia’s 45-day long early-voting period began Sept. 19. Voters don’t need a reason to cast
ballots in person before the Nov. 4 election. The state has one of the longest early voting periods in the country.
This year, voters will get the chance to select a new governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and all members of the House of Delegates. There are also several local races across the commonwealth.
Wheeler and her husband voted together on the first day of early voting. “It feels like a stronger way of participating in the process,” she said.
Virginia changed early voting requirements in 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic the state
no longer required voters to explain why they wanted to vote early during the 45-day period.
“At first, it wasn’t very popular,” Emilie Staton, Buena Vista’s registrar, said, “but the idea is people like to go ahead and get it out of the way. A lot of people like it because they don’t want to stand in line on Election Day and get in and get out quicker.”
Rockbridge County Registrar Sheila Hall says early voting helps ease Election Day lines.
“I do wish that it was a little bit shorter,” she said. “It does make it hard on us to get our election
stuff finished up and get our training worked in.”
But she says early voting benefits Rockbridge County’s growing elderly population.
“Rockbridge County is structured on a retired community,” Hall said. “There’s so many people
that build and come here to retire.”
Karen Campbell celebrated her 68th birthday by voting curbside at the Lexington registrar’s
office. She uses a wheelchair.
“It’s easier, and there are not too many people,” she said.
Early voting in Lexington this year is in the Lexington City Schools administration building at 300 Diamond St., Suite B.
with state and federal accessibility standard.
Jayne Reino, a Spanish professor at Washington and Lee, said early voting is convenient.
“You know, in regular voting I may be extra busy with my kids,” she said, “and this just gives
me an opportunity to check the box.