CASEY: Most localities show upswing in 1st-day early voting for Nov. 5 election

You may or may not know that across Virginia, voting for the 2024 presidential election started this past Friday. Also up for election are all 11 of Virginia's congressional seats and one race for U.S. Senate.

Local registrars in the Roanoke region are well aware. They've been preparing all summer for the 2024 presidential election. In certain cases, some have opened — or plan to open — temporary early voting offices. And federal elections aren't the only ones on those ballots.

In Salem, there's a special election for sheriff. In Salem and Roanoke, half the seats on each city council are up for grabs. Also, Roanoke has a three-way race for mayor that pits the current vice mayor against a four-time past mayor and a current councilwoman.

In Boones Mill, two independents are vying for mayor. The incumbent, Victor E. Conner, is seeking reelection. He's being challenged by Donald F "Whitey" Taylor, owner of The Trump Store on U.S. 220, at Boone Mill's only stoplight.

Also, if you're not registered, it's not too late. The last day to register to vote, or for voters to update registration if they've moved residences, is Oct. 15. The last day to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 25. Either can be accomplished online at elections.virginia.gov

This is Virginia's second presidential election since the Virginia General Assembly created no-excuses early voting. That law took effect July 1, 2020. It provides for weekday early voting 45 days before Election Day, which this year falls on Nov. 5.

Registrars in each locality must designate one or more locations for early voting. Most often, that's the registrar's office. But the times can vary by local office. And some, such as Roanoke County, offer early voting at more than one location.

You cannot vote early anywhere on Monday, Oct. 14; because registrars offices will be closed for Columbus Day, a federal holiday. But they'll be open the last two Saturdays before Election Day — Oct. 26 and Nov. 2. The latter is the final day of early voting.

Early voting times vary slightly by office, and are listed on each locality's registrar web page. It's best to check those before you go.

In Roanoke, the sole early-voting location is 317 Kimball Ave. N.E. Friday, "when I got here at 6:30 a.m., there were two people in line already," said Roanoke Registrar Nicholas Ocampo. (He recently succeeded Andrew Cochran, who retired from the appointed position Aug. 30, after 11 years on the job.)

By the time the office opened for voting at 8 a.m., there were 15 to 20 voters in line, Ocampo said. In all, 703 Roanoke voters cast ballots on Friday, compared to 717 four years ago, Ocampo said. (In 2020, Joe Biden won the city of Roanoke with just under 62% of the vote.)

"The rest of the day, it was steady," Ocampo added. "A lot of voters were excited to be voting and have their voices heard. Many expressed appreciation for the convenience of early voting."

This year for the first time, the city of Salem has rented a temporary trailer for early voting. It's behind Registrar Dana Oliver's office at 19 E. Clay St. Oliver said her office lobby can barely accommodate three voters at a time.

When voting commenced at 8 a.m. Friday in Salem, "there were 75 to 80 people in line," Oliver said.

In Bedford County, 674 first-day voters cast early ballots Friday at the Bedford County Gym, 1059 Turning Point Road in Bedford, Registrar Barbara Gunter reported.

That included "eight or nine" in line when the office opened. In 2020, the number of first-day early Bedford voters was 323, or less than half Friday's count. (Trump took slightly more than 73% of the Bedford County vote in 2020.)

In Roanoke County, 884 voters turned up at two locations to vote Friday. One was the Roanoke County Registrar's office, at 900 Chestnut St. in Vinton. The other is at the Brambleton Center, 3738 Brambleton Ave., said Registrar Anna Cloeter.

Voters "seemed to be in pretty good spirits," Cloeter told me. "So far, everybody's been very pleasant. They were excited to be able to vote early."

Kay Chitwood, registrar for Franklin County, said Friday saw 353 first-day early voters, compared to 179 in 2020. (In that year's presidential election, Trump took just over 70% of the Franklin County vote.)

Botetourt County offers a single early-voting location, at the Botetourt County Registrar, 2 E. Main St. in Fincastle. Registrar Traci Clark said 366 registered voters cast ballots there on Friday, compared to 153 on the first day of early voting in 2020. (Trump took just over 71% of Botetourt votes in 2020.) Montgomery County also saw a big increase, said Registrar Connie Viar. In 2020, 480 voters cast ballots on the first day of early voting. Friday, the number was 821, Viar said. (In 2020, Joe Biden won Montgomery with just under 52% of the vote.)

"We were busy," Viar said. "We had a line out the door before we opened at 9 a.m."

Currently, Montgomery County has one location for early voting, the registrar's office at 1546 North Franklin St. in Christiansburg. But beginning Oct. 21, the registrar will be accepting votes at a satellite location, the Blacksburg Community Center, 725 Patrick Henry Drive, Viar said.

Dan Casey

(540) 981-3423

Important dates, 2024 general election

• Voter registration: The deadline is Oct. 15, and it can be done online at elections.virginia.gov , the Virginia Department of Elections website. Provisional ballots will be available for voters who register in-person after that date.

• Absentee ballots: The deadline to request an absentee ballot is 5 p.m. on Oct. 25. Those can be requested at elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/early-absentee/ , and to count, absentee ballots must be received no later than the Friday following the election.

• Saturday voting: Virginia registrars will accept early ballots on Oct. 26 and Nov. 2, but times vary by locality. Those are listed on the website for your locality's registrar.

• Columbus Day: Registrars offices are closed Monday, Oct. 14 for Columbus Day, a federal holiday.

• Nov. 2: Last day of early voting.

• Nov. 5: Election Day, the last day to vote in person.

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