MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Early voting is now underway across Virginia for the state’s Aug. 4 primary election, giving voters several weeks to cast ballots before Election Day.
Election officials are encouraging residents to take advantage of the expanded voting period, which runs through Aug. 1, though turnout in primary elections has historically lagged behind general elections.
“It’s a privilege, it’s a right, it’s an honor, and it’s your duty to vote,” said Jane Hackenburg, who recently cast a ballot during early voting in Martinsville.
For Hackenburg and her husband, David, voting is often more complicated than simply visiting a polling place. The couple has spent much of the past decade living in China and typically votes absentee from overseas.
“We moved to China in 2012 and lived there a lot of our time,” Jane Hackenburg said. “You have to print the stuff and then fill it out and then put it in a special envelope and then special package it to get here. And it’s kind of expensive.”
The couple said they were excited to be back in Virginia during the early voting period and able to cast ballots in person for the first time in more than 10 years.
“It was so exciting today when I found out that we would be here during that window, because we’re back here visiting our son,” Jane Hackenburg said.
Living overseas has also given the Hackenburgs a unique perspective on the democratic process. Jane Hackenburg said friends in China have been fascinated by the opportunity Americans have to participate directly in elections.
“When I handed it to them, they were touching it like they couldn’t believe it,” he said of showing friends his ballot. “They’re like, ‘You get to do this?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah. It’s a privilege.’”
Local election officials say they hope more voters will take part in this year’s primary.
“We always want to see a very, very high turnout,” Martinsville Director of Elections Sara Workman said. “But unfortunately, our primaries are not very, very big as far as turnout.”
Virginia voters must be registered by July 24 to participate in the Aug. 4 primary election. Voters casting ballots in person must also provide an acceptable form of identification, such as a driver’s license, voter registration card, passport, employee ID, student ID, utility bill or bank statement. Voters without an acceptable ID may still vote by signing an ID confirmation statement.
Because Virginia has an open primary system, voters do not register by political party and may choose which party’s primary ballot they wish to cast. However, voters may only participate in one party’s primary for a given office.
In Martinsville, for example, voters may choose between voting in the Democratic primary for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District or the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat. Voters are not required to be registered with either party to participate.
In addition to weekday voting, local registrar offices will be open for required Saturday voting days before the close of early voting on Aug. 1. Election Day is Aug. 4, when polls will be open statewide from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m.
You can find your polling place and hours of operation here.