Photo by Jay Paul
Thanks to new laws that expanded access to early voting, Virginians could vote in person before election day or by mail without a preapproved reason. The 45-day in-person early voting period ran Sept. 18 through Oct. 31.
This photo was taken on the first day of in-person early voting at Henrico County’s Western Government Center.
Mark Coakley, Henrico’s director of elections, reported that as of Oct. 7, 23,299 early votes had been cast in the county, with an additional 44,788 mail-in ballots requested. In Chesterfield, more than 14,200 registered voters had voted early by the same day.
Hanover County Director of Elections Teresa Smithson reported 9,825 in-person early votes and said the county had sent out 12,010 vote-by-mail ballots. In the city of Richmond, Kirk Showalter, general registrar, said 14,172 people had voted in person as of Oct. 8.
“It has been nonstop,” said Chesterfield County General Registrar and Director of Elections Constance L. Hargrove in a release. “Most voters have not had to wait more than 20 minutes. Our voters have been very patient and understanding with our staff and each other.”
See more photos taken around Richmond at instagram.com/richmondmag.
