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Early voting kicked off in Virginia on Sept. 20 ahead of the Nov. 5 general election. Suffolk registrar’s office says 645 voters came out on the first day to cast their votes.

All in-person early voting for the City of Suffolk occurs at the Suffolk Registrar’s Office, located at 440 Market Street, First Floor. Unless otherwise noted, voting hours for the 45-day early voting period are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. All in-person early voting ends on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. On election day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, registered voters must go to their assigned polling precinct to vote. All precincts will be open on election day from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. No voting takes place at the Registrar’s Office on election day.

How to vote early

According to the Virginia Department of Elections, no application is required to vote early, but state law requires voters to provide some form of identification, or sign what’s known as an ID confirmation statement.

Acceptable forms of ID include a valid or expired Virginia driver’s license, valid U.S. passport, college or Virginia high school ID, or employee ID containing a photo of the voter. For those without a photo ID, a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement or government check addressed to the voter is acceptable. 

A complete list of acceptable forms of ID is available at https://www.elections.virginia.gov/media/formswarehouse/voter-id/outreach-materials/documents/Voter-Identification-Chart-Rev-4-28-21.pdf.

Voters without any form of ID and who don’t sign an ID confirmation statement have the option of casting a provisional ballot. Provisional ballots will be counted once the voter provides at a later date either one of the acceptable forms of identification or signs an ID confirmation statement. Voters who cast provisional ballots have until noon on the Friday following the Nov. 5 election to do so. Each county’s electoral board is to certify provisional ballots no later than Nov. 15.

Voter Registration

The deadline to register to vote and cast a regular ballot is Oct. 15. Voters who register after Oct. 15 can cast a provisional ballot. Registration must take place in person either at an early voting location or on election day at that voter’s assigned polling site, which is determined by home address.

What about absentee ballots?

Voters who want a ballot mailed to them can apply online to vote absentee by filling out the form at https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation.

According to the Department of Elections, registrars will start mailing ballots on Sept. 20 to voters who have applied to vote absentee by mail.  The last day to request an absentee ballot by mail is Oct. 25.

As with in-person early voting, voters no longer need to state a reason for requesting an absentee ballot.

Absentee ballots can be dropped off at the registrar’s office or voters’ assigned in-person polling site on election day, or returned by mail. Those that are returned by mail must be postmarked no later than Nov. 5 and received by noon on Nov. 8, according to the Department of Elections.

The state Board of Elections is to certify Virginia’s election results by Dec. 2. The federal Electoral College is to cast its votes for president and vice president on Dec. 17.

Who’s on the ballot?

President and constitutional amendment

At the top of the Nov. 5 ballot is the presidential race, where voters can choose a set of electors for the Democratic or Republican Party nominees, or one of four third-party tickets. Candidates are:

• Democratic Party: Kamala Harris for president and Tim Walz for vice president
• Republican Party: Donald Trump for president and J.D. Vance for vice president
• Green Party: Jill Stein for president and Rudolph Ware for vice president
• Libertarian Party: Chase Oliver for president and Mike her Matt for vice president
• Independent: Claudia De la Cruz for president and Karina Garcia for vice president
• Independent: Cornel West for president and Melina Abdullah for vice president

All voters, regardless of locality, will also get to weigh in on a proposed state constitution amendment. The ballot question reads, “Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended so that the tax exemption that is currently available to the surviving spouses of soldiers killed in action is also available to the surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty. Voters can answer “yes” or “no.”

Senate

Voters will also get to choose between Democrat Timothy Kaine and Republican Hung Cao for senator.

Congressional races

Voters can also vote in the race between Democrat Missy Cotter Smasal, Republican Jen Kiggans and independent candidate Robert Reid for the 2nd Congressional District seat.

All ballots give voters the option of a write-in vote in any race.

Suffolk Mayor

Suffolk voters can vote for one candidate for mayor:

• Clinton L. Jenkins
• Michael D. “Mike” Duman
• David A. Bosselman

Suffolk City Council

Voters in Suffolk can vote for one candidate for city council in the following boroughs:

Sleepy Hole Borough (Includes the Belleharbour, Driver, Bennett’s Creek, and Harbourview Precincts)

• Roger William Fawcett
• Ebony N. Wright

Whaleyville Borough (Includes the Airport, Whaleyville, Southside, Booker T. Washington, and Hollywood Precincts)

• LeOtis L. “Turkey Man” Williams
• Jason A. Wooldridge

Nansemond Borough (Includes Pughsville, Burbage Grant, and Huntersville Precincts)

• Lue R. Ward Jr.

Suffolk Public School Board

Voters in Suffolk can vote for one candidate for Suffolk Public School Board in the following boroughs:

Sleepy Hole Borough (Includes the Belleharbour, Driver, Bennett’s Creek, and Harbourview Precincts)

• Heather D. S. Howell
• Carly A. Bosco

Whaleyville Borough (Includes the Airport, Whaleyville, Southside, Booker T. Washington, and Hollywood Precincts)

• Sean P. McGee
• Jonathan E. Rankin
• Thelma V. Hinton

Nansemond Borough (Includes Pughsville, Burbage Grant, and Huntersville Precincts)

• James E. Shores
• Valerie B. Fields

Sheriff

Suffolk voters have one selection available with a write-in option for sheriff:

• David D. Miles