Williamsburg to offer curbside voting, dropbox for absentee ballots ahead of election

Posted: Sep 15, 2020 / 04:48 PM EDT / Updated: Sep 15, 2020 / 05:03 PM EDT

FILE – In this Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020, file photo, a person drops applications for mail-in-ballots into a mail box in Omaha, Neb. Mail voting is starting in the presidential election as North Carolina is sending out its first batch of ballots. The battleground state on Friday begins to send out about 600,000 ballots to voters who’ve requested them. Those voters are overwhelmingly Democrats and independents, reflecting a partisan split in voting methods that’s developed since President Trump started attacking mail voting in March. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) — The City of Williamsburg is offering curbside voting along with a dropbox for absentee ballots to help slow the spread of COVID-19 come November 3.

On Friday, Sept. 18, in-person early voting begins and absentee ballots will be mailed to those who have requested to vote by mail.

Due to state legislation passed earlier this year, voters are no longer required to have an approved reason to vote earlier than Election Day, which is Nov. 3, 2020.

City voters can cast their ballots in-person at the Municipal Building, either curbside or inside the Registrar’s Office, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, starting Sept. 18.

The office will also be open two Saturdays this election season: Oct. 24 and 31, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. both days. The Municipal Building is located at 401 Lafayette St.

Those who choose to vote curbside are advised to park in the designated spaces and call 757-220-6157. Someone from the Registrar’s Office will come outside to check ID and issue a ballot.

Those who choose to vote inside will have their temperature checked before entering; face coverings and physical distancing are required.

Only four people are allowed inside the Registrar’s Office at a time. Anyone who has a temperature of 100 degrees or higher will be asked to vote curbside.

Absentee ballots can be returned to a dropbox outside the front doors of the Municipal Building or sent through the mail. Ballots sent through the mail must be postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 3, 2020, and received no later than noon Friday, Nov. 6, 2020.

Details on the voting procedures for Election Day will be released later this month.To request an absentee ballot or register to vote, contact Tina Reitzel at 757-220-6157 or treitzel@williamsburgva.gov.

The last day to register is Tuesday, Oct. 13. More information can be found at williamsburgva.gov/vote.