Ashburn Voters Offered Vote-By-Mail, In-Person Absentee Options

ASHBURN, VA — Loudoun County voters can drop off their completed absentee ballots at the registrar's office in Leesburg. An elections employee is typically outside during business hours to take completed absentee ballots, or voters can go inside the office to drop off their ballots.

The Loudoun County registrar's office has ordered a drop box for voters to use and is awaiting its arrival. The office has yet to decide on whether the box will be placed inside or outside the registrar's office at 750 Miller Drive SE in Leesburg.

The Virginia General Assembly voted to permit drop boxes as election officials see an increased demand for absentee voting for the Nov. 3 election.

In-person early voting runs through Oct. 31 at the registrar's office and is currently occurring at the 750 Miller Drive SE location in Leesburg. The elections office may open other in-person absentee voting locations elsewhere in the county later this month.

The county has already received 80,000 ballots — in-person, mailed-in and dropped-off — since Sept. 18, the voter registrar's office said. In the 2016 presidential election, a total of 182,050 ballots were cast in Loudoun County.

Voters should follow the instructions included with the ballot and return it to the Leesburg elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. If you are returning the ballot by mail, it must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by the office by noon on the third day after the election (Nov. 6).

Residents can track their ballot's delivery status through Ballot Scout and confirm it has been received through the Virginia Department of Elections.

Voters no longer need an excuse for early voting 45 days before an election due to new state legislation. Voters still have to show an acceptable form of identification to vote in person, but it no longer has to be a photo ID.

The Nov. 3 election will include races for president and vice president of the United States, one member of the U.S. Senate, the member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the 10th congressional district and two amendments to the Constitution of Virginia.

Voters can submit an application for an absentee ballot, register to vote or check registration status, and check their Loudoun County polling place at https://www.loudoun.gov/197/Find-Your-Polling-Place.

Here are the key dates to remember:

• Tuesday, Oct. 13 — Last day to register to vote or update registration for the Nov. 3 election. The deadline is 5 p.m. in person and 11:59 p.m. online.
• Friday, Oct. 23 — Application deadline to request an absentee ballot be mailed.
• Saturday, Oct. 31 at 5 p.m. — Deadline to vote early in person at Loudoun elections office.
• Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. — Deadline to return completed ballot to the elections office. If returning your ballot by-mail, it must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by the elections office by noon on the third day after the election (Nov. 3).
• Tuesday, Nov. 3 — Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.

For more information, visit the Loudoun County Elections and Voter Registration website.

RELATED: Loudoun Election 2020: Rules, Deadlines In Year Of Coronavirus