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Absentee & Early Voting
Overview of Early In-Person and Absentee By Mail Dates/Deadlines
- Early in-person absentee voting will begin at our office in Vinton (900 Chestnut St.) from 8 AM to 4 PM Monday through Friday beginning on the Friday 45 days prior to Election Day. Early in-person absentee voting will be offered from 8AM to 4 PM at our Brambleton Center Satellite Office (3738 Brambleton Avenue) starting on the Monday two weeks prior to Election Day for a primary election or three weeks prior to Election Day for a general (exception: open the full 45 days prior to Election Day for presidential and gubernatorial elections).
- Saturday early voting hours will be offered at both locations from 8 AM to 4 PM two Saturdays prior to Election Day and from 9 AM to 5 PM on the Saturday immediately before Election Day.
- The LAST DAY to vote early in person at either location will be from 9 AM to 5 PM on the Saturday before Election Day.
[ALL VOTING AFTER THIS DATE WILL TAKE PLACE AT YOUR ASSIGNED ELECTION DAY POLLING PLACE!] - Mail-in absentee ballots will be sent to voters with valid absentee ballot requests on file (either permanent or one-time) at least 45 days prior to each Election and the deadline to submit a request to receive an absentee ballot by mail is 5 PM on the 11th day prior to Election Day. The deadline to return a voted absentee ballot in a properly-completed Envelope B is NOON on the Friday immediately after Election Day.
- If you requested an absentee ballot by mail and decide that you would rather vote in-person, we ask that you bring your unmarked, unvoted absentee ballot with you to exchange for a new ballot; if you do not have your mail-in absentee ballot to exchange for a live in-person ballot, you will have to vote provisionally.
Vote Early In Person
Registered voters are permitted to cast their ballots early in person beginning 45 days prior to Election Day and ending on the Saturday immediately before Election Day. No application is required to vote absentee (early) in person, but please confirm/update your voter registration via the Virginia Department of Elections Portal (click ‘Check registration status’) prior to visiting our office. Our regular office hours are 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday.
Locations, Dates, and Times to Vote Early In-Person
Roanoke County Elections Office
900 Chestnut St. Vinton, VA 24179
For the NOVEMBER GENERAL (open the full 45 Days prior to Election Day):
- Begins Friday, September 19 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- Available Monday, September 22 through Friday, October 31 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
- Special Saturday Hours:
- Saturday, October 25 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
- Saturday, November 1 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (last day for absentee in-person voting).
Brambleton Center Elections Satellite Office
3738 Brambleton Ave., Roanoke, VA 24018
For the NOVEMBER GENERAL (opening the full 45 Days prior to Presidential and Gubernatorial Elections, three weeks before Election Day for all other general elections):
- Begins Friday, September 19 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- Available Monday, September 22 through Friday, October 31 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
- Special Saturday Hours:
- Saturday, October 25 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
- Saturday, November 1 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (last day for absentee in-person voting).
Last Day to Vote Absentee In-Person:
- Saturday, November 1st for the General Election.
- After this date & time, all in-person voting MUST take place at your assigned voting precinct's designated polling place on Election Day (you will not be able to cast your ballot at either our main office in Vinton or at the Brambleton Center's Satellite Office). To identify your assigned Election Day polling place, please view our precinct chart or visit VoterView to search by your residential address.
Additional Information about Early Voting In Person
- Virginia no longer requires voters to provide an excuse to vote early; any voter who wants to cast their ballot before Election Day is eligible to do so.
- You must provide your name and address and show an acceptable form of ID. Learn more about Voter Identification Requirements.
- Roanoke County provides the following accommodations to ensure that our polling places are accessible to all of our voters:
- ADA-accessible ballot marking devices are available for voters who are able to appear in person inside either of our early voting locations; these machines produce a printed, marked ballot that can then be cast on the voting machine.
- Curbside voting is available upon request for voters with special needs, illnesses, and who are 65 years of age or older; after the voter has provided their name, address, and a valid form of identification, an officer of election will bring the voter a paper ballot outside to the voter so that they can mark it.
- Voters who require any assistance reading, marking, or casting their ballot may receive that assistant from an Officer of Election of their choice or from another individual if both are willing to complete a Request for Assistance Form.
*If you have already requested to receive an absentee ballot by mail and decided that you would rather vote early in person instead, PLEASE BRING YOUR UNVOTED MAIL-IN BALLOT WITH YOU when you come to vote! If you fail to do this, you may need to cast a provisional ballot.*
Vote Absentee By Mail
We begin mailing absentee ballots out to voters with valid requests on file 45 days prior to Election Day. We mail our ballots via USPS First Class Mail and obtain Certificates of Mailing for each and every ballot; unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the delivery or return of ballots by the USPS as that is the sole responsibility of the USPS. For that reason, if you have not received your requested absentee ballot within two weeks of submitting your application, it is your responsibility to contact us regarding any potential issues or the need for a ballot to be reissued; a ballot reissue form is required before we are able to send a replacement ballot to any voter. We stop mailing absentee ballots out to voters 10 days prior to Election Day; our last batch of absentee ballots goes out by 5:00 PM on the 11th day before Election Day.
IMPORTANT NOTICES!
- The General Assembly has removed the requirement for a witness signature on absentee Envelope B . . . HOWEVER, they have instituted a requirement that - in addition to providing their full legal name, the residential address at which they are currently registered to vote, and signature - all voters must instead include the LAST 4 DIGITS OF THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS and their full YEAR OF BIRTH on their absentee Envelope B.
- Marked ballots may only be returned or dropped off by the individual voter who requested the ballot. A ballot returned in person or dropped off by anyone other than the voter who requested it will be rejected unless placed into one of our Voted Ballot Drop Bags.
Apply to Vote by Mail
Using an Online Application
- Visit the Virginia Department of Elections’ Voter Information Portal and click ‘Apply to Vote Absentee by Mail’ to submit your application to vote absentee by mail online.
- You can check on the status of your absentee application 48-72 hours after applying by logging back into the Virginia Department of Elections’ Voter Information Portal and clicking "Check registration status".
Using Virginia Absentee Ballot Application Forms & Submitting via Mail or Email
- You may also download and complete the Virginia Absentee Ballot Application Form or the Virginia Permanent Absentee Voter Single Election Change Form (ONLY if you already have an active ongoing absentee ballot application on file).
- Return your completed application to the Roanoke County Dept. of Elections by mail to P.O. Box 20884 Roanoke, VA 24018, You may also email your signed and completed application to us at elections@roanokecountyva.gov, fax it to us at (504) 772-2115 (please call 30 minutes later to ensure your fax was received), or drop your application off in person at our office located at 900 Chestnut St. Vinton, VA 24179.
Deadline to Request an Absentee Ballot by Mail
Completed absentee ballot applications must be received no later than 5:00 PM, 11 days prior to Election Day; the deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail for the upcoming election is Friday, October 25 at 5:00 PM.If you requested your absentee ballot more than two weeks ago and have not yet received it
Please call our office at 540-772-7500 to check the status of your ballot; if you have not received your ballot within 10 days of the date on which we mailed it out to you via USPS First Class Mail with a Certificate of Mailing, we will be happy to provide you with a ballot reissue form to cancel your previously issued ballot and either allow you to receive a new ballot by mail or to mark your ballot in person at our office and cast it on the voting machine yourself.
Drop Off Your Marked Absentee Ballot In Person
Ballots may be returned in person at our office in Vinton or our satellite office at the Brambleton Center during the dates and times listed under the Early In-Person Voting section above.
Mail Your Marked Absentee Ballot
Your ballot must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by our office no later than 12:00 noon on the Friday following Election Day in order to be counted. Mail marked ballots to the Roanoke County Dept. of Elections at either of the following addresses:
900 Chestnut Street P.O. Box 20884
Vinton, VA 24179 Roanoke, VA 24018
Return Your Marked Ballot on Election Day
Return your marked ballot at ANY Roanoke County polling place open from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM or at the Roanoke County Dept. of Elections (900 Chestnut St. Vinton, VA 24179) between 6:00 AM and 7:00 PM – just ask for the Voted Ballot Drop Bag.
Additional Information About Voting Absentee by Mail
Visit the Virginia Department of Elections’ Voter Information Portal to:
- Confirm that your absentee ballot application was submitted/received (if returning your application by mail, please remember to allow at least 5-7 business days for it to arrive).
- Check your absentee ballot application’s approval status (you will only receive notification by mail if our office cannot approve your absentee ballot application as submitted; Virginia law does not require and Virginia’s voter registration system does not permit our office to send notice of each approved application).
- See whether our office has mailed your absentee ballot out to you or received and checked in your voted ballot.
Deciding to Vote Early In Person Instead of By Mail
If you applied to vote absentee by mail and later decided that you would rather vote early in person at our office, please bring your unused absentee ballot and all related envelopes with you when you come to vote.
First-Time Voting In Your County or City
In federal elections, all voters who registered by mail and are voting for the first time in their City or County will be required to provide one acceptable form of ID; a written statement will not be accepted. Please visit Voter Identification Requirements for more information.
For More Information
For more information, contact the Roanoke County Dept. of Elections at 540-772-7500, email elections@roanokecountyva.gov, or visit us at 900 Chestnut Street in Vinton, Virginia 24179 between 8 AM and 4 PM Monday through Friday.