Early voting begins Friday, Sept 20, for the General and Special Elections set for Nov. 5, reported Melissa D. Welch, Middlesex County’s director of Elections and General Registrar.
Early voting will be conducted at the Elections Office at 105 Bowden St. in Saluda 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. The last day to vote early will be Saturday, Nov. 2, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Also, early voting will be possible 9 a.m to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26.
In addition, the office will be open until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15 and Friday, Oct. 25. The office will be closed on Columbus Day, Monday, Oct. 14, and for the Urbanna Oyster Festival on Friday, Nov. 1.
Oct. 15 is the last day to register to vote or update an existing registration for the November General and Special Elections.
Vote by mail
As an alternative to in-person early and Election Day voting, voters may vote by mail, with no excuse required, said Welch. Voters should simply fill out an application to request a mailed ballot at www.elections.virginia.gov. The cut-off to apply for a ballot to be mailed is 5 p.m. Oct. 25.
Curbside voting
Middlesex County’s voting precincts, including the Elections Office in Saluda, are fully accessible to elderly voters and voters with disabilities. Curbside voting is available at all precinct locations for people age 65 and older or any person with a disability. If you would like to use curbside voting, make sure to use the designated parking space and follow the instructions on the signage. Help is available. Please ask an election officer for assistance you may need at any stage of the voting process.
Identification
Virginia law requires all voters to provide an acceptable form of identification (ID). Most voters use their DMV-issued driver’s license or ID card but there is a host of acceptable identifications. (A list can be found at https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/in-person-voting/). Voters arriving at the polls without an acceptable form of ID will be required to either sign an ID Confirmation Statement or vote a provisional ballot. For persons who registered to vote in Virginia by mail, federal law requires them to show certain types of ID when voting for the first time in a federal election and they are unable to sign the confirmation statement.
Constitutional amendment
The proposed amendment would expand a current tax exemption so that it is available to all surviving spouses of soldiers who are determined by the U.S. Department of Defense to have died in the line of duty, including those who have been killed in action.
A “yes” vote would allow the surviving spouse of a soldier who died in the line of duty to claim the same real property tax exemption on their principal place of residence that is currently only available to the surviving spouses of soldiers who are killed in action.
A “no” vote will not allow such additional surviving spouses to claim the real property tax exemption.
Sample ballots will be posted on the county’s website as soon as available.
Call 804-758-4420 or email govote119@co.middlesex.va.us for more information.
Ballot
The following lists candidates and their party:
President, Vice President
Kamala D. Harris and Tim Walz -D
Donald J. Trump and JD Vance – R
Jill E. Stein and Rudolph T. Ware III – G
Chase R. Oliver and Mike ter Maat – L
Claudia De la Cruz and Karina Garcia – I
Cornel R. West and Melina Abdullah – I
U.S. Senate
Incumbent Timothy M. Kaine – D and Hung Cao – R
U.S. House
Leslie C. Mehta – D and incumbent Robert J. Wittman – R
Urbanna Town Council
Three seats are to be contested by incumbents Marjorie F. Austin, Alana V. Courtney and Sandra W. Sturgill; and challenger Robert E. “Robbie” Wilson III who is seeking his first term on town council.
Member, Board of Supervisors – Hartfield District
A special election will be held to fill the vacancy for the remaining portion of the term for the Board of Supervisors, Hartfield District due to the resignation of John B. Koontz Jr. The Middlesex County Board of Supervisors appointed William (Bill) Harris to serve until the voters of the Hartfield District fill the vacancy. Bill Harris is running unopposed in the Special Election, which is for Hartfield District voters only. The term ends on Dec. 31, 2025.
