Loudoun Election 2020: Rules, Deadlines In Year Of Coronavirus

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — The Loudoun County voter registrar's office is gearing up for the November general election, which has new rules for voting due to the coronavirus crisis. The office is encouraging voters to request an absentee ballot now.

The Loudoun County registrar's office is receiving hundreds of applications daily from residents who want ballots sent to them by mail, Judy Brown, General Registrar for Loudoun County, said Tuesday at the county Board of Supervisors business meeting.

Brown reminded residents that every registered voter in Virginia, unlike previous years, is eligible to vote by mail or in person before the election, with no reason required.

Absentee ballots for the Nov. 3 election will begin to be mailed out the week of Sept. 14 to voters who have submitted an application. Absentee ballots will be mailed continuously through the application deadline of Oct. 23. Absentee ballot applications are processed daily, the voter registrar's office said, although counting of the ballots does not begin until after 7 p.m. on Election Day.

For residents who plan to vote in person, either before the election or on Election Day, Brown strongly recommended they read over a sample ballot before going to the polling station.

Along with the presidential, Senate and House races, the ballot is likely to contain two Virginia constitutional questions and four amendment questions. By reviewing the sample ballot before voting in person, voters will not have to spend as much time inside the polling stations reading the questions, which are often written in a convoluted style, Brown said.

Sample ballots for the Nov. 3 general election in Loudoun County are expected to be finalized and posted in early September.

If Loudoun residents choose to print and sign their applications for ballots (instead of requesting them online), they can be submitted in the following ways:

• Mail to: Voter Registration Office 750 Miller Drive SE Suite C Leesburg VA 20175
• Fax to: 703-777-0622
• Email to: Office of Elections

Brown told the Board of Supervisors that the county currently has enough names of people in its database — about 2,500 people — to work the polls on Election Day. If the pandemic gets worse, though, the registar's office may put out a call for more people to sign up.

Here are important dates to remember for the upcoming election in Loudoun County:

• Friday, Sept. 18 — Early Voting begins.
• Tuesday, Oct. 13 — Last day to register/update registration and vote in the Nov. 3 election.
• Friday, Oct. 23 at 5 p.m. — Application deadline to request Vote by Mail ballot be mailed to you.
• Saturday, Oct. 24, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. — Early voting in the Registrar's office.
• Monday-Saturday, Oct. 26-31, 8:30 to 4:30 p.m. — Early voting in the Registrar's office.
• Tuesday, Nov. 3 — Election Day polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Voter registration is available online in Virginia. Residents can also apply online to vote absentee.

A Virginia DMV issued I.D. is required to complete all online voter registration and Vote by Mail applications. A DMV I.D. signature is used to sign an online application.