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Early voting in Virginia for the Nov. 7 elections began Friday and will conclude on Saturday, November 4. Don’t waste time; get out and vote now. If you have yet to study your candidates, there is still time to do so, although the voting cycle will conclude just as quickly as it began.

In Suffolk, on a state level, House District 84 and 89 and Senate District 17 are on the ballot this time around. Locally, the Soil and Conservation Director for the Peanut District is also up for election. 

Typically, elections that do not include the President tend to have a lower turnout, which is unfortunate as these seats dramatically impact our daily lives more than our national elections. Don’t mistake what we are saying here; national seats impact us, but the decisions that shape our daily routines, finances, and way of life are decided at the local and state levels. 

Registering to vote is the first step to having your voice heard, and in Virginia, the last day to register is Monday, Oct. 16, so if you still need to register, please do so now.

With the massive amount of transient families in and around Suffolk, absentee ballots are also available, and the last day to apply for an absentee ballot by mail is Friday, Oct. 27.

Something relatively new to hit the election calendar is Saturday voting, which takes place on Saturday, Oct. 28, in Suffolk, and, of course, the last day to vote is Tuesday, Nov. 7.

By then, we hope most will have already cast a vote, and in-person lines will be short. 

With as much time allotted to cast ballots, there is no excuse for the nearly 65,000 active voters in Suffolk not to hit the polls.