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Tomorrow is the last day for early voting in state deadline today

Saturday is the last day to vote absentee in person in Virginia

POLL: If you have already cast your ballot, who did you vote for?

Date published: 10/31/2008

BY SUSANNAH CLARK

Tomorrow is the last day to vote absentee in-person for the 2008 presidential and general election.

All local registrars' offices will be open for a minimum of eight hours tomorrow for in-person absentee voting.

While Virginia does not have an "early voting" option, local registrars have been encouraging students, senior citizens and commuters to vote absentee in an attempt to ease the big crowds expected Tuesday.

"I would say that voting absentee is actually the best time to vote," said Sharon Persinger, registrar for Stafford County. "Tuesday should be crowded all day, not just during rush hour."

Despite rumors circulating that absentee ballots are not counted if one candidate appears to be winning by a large margin, the Web site for the State Board of Elections confirms that all absentee votes will be counted on Nov 4 at 7 p.m., after the polls have closed.

Susannah Clark: 540/374-5000, ext. 5617
Email: smclark@freelancestar.com

TO VOTE ABSENTEE: Local registrars are required to be open for in-person absentee voting for at least eight hours Saturday. To vote absentee, you must be a registered voter and present a valid form of ID. Here are the local registrars' office hours for this Saturday: FREDERICKSBURG 715 Princess Anne St., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. STAFFORD 1300 Courthouse Rd., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. SPOTSYLVANIA 9106A Courthouse Road, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. CAROLINE 109 County St., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. KING GEORGE 10459 Courthouse Drive, 9 a..m.-5 p.m. CULPEPER 151 N. Main St. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. ORANGE 146 N. Madison Road, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. WESTMORELAND 105 Court Square, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. LOUISA 1 Woolfolk Ave., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. FAUQUIER 32 Waterloo St., Suite 207, Warrenton, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. RULES OF VOTING: The State Board of Elections gives 17 different categories by which a registered voter may qualify to vote absentee. Under Virginia law a registered voter who answers "yes" to one of the following questions may qualify to vote by absentee ballot: Does your workday, including your commute time, keep you away from home for 11 hours or more? Are you the primary caregiver for a family member confined at home? Are you disabled or suffering from an illness? Are you a student away at school or a spouse of a student? Are you pregnant? Will you be away for business reasons? Are you temporarily residing outside of the United States? Do you have a religious obligation? Will you be away on vacation? Are you a member of the U.S. Uniformed Services on active duty or are you the spouse of an active duty service member? Will you be serving as an election official? Will you be confined either awaiting trial or already convicted of a misdemeanor? Are you requesting a ballot for presidential and vice presidential electors only?

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Date published: 10/31/2008