Absentee voting is way up across Prince William, Stafford. What you need to know ahead of the Nov. 6 election.

Northern Virginia elections officials are seeing a significant increase in the number of voters casting absentee ballots, a trend they expect to continue as the Nov. 6 midterm election draws closer.

Officials in Prince William and Stafford counties, along with Manassas city, will have extended hours for absentee voting in the final two weeks before next month’s local and federal election.

With less than two weeks until Election Day, deadlines are quickly approaching. In all Virginia jurisdictions:

• The final day to request an absentee ballot by mail is Tuesday, Oct. 30, by 5 p.m. That can be done via the Virginia Department of Elections website.
• The final day for in-person absentee voting is Saturday, Nov. 3. To vote in person, you don’t need to request a ballot in advance. Simply appear at the voting location with photo identification.

Officials expect the number of absentee votes to continue at the above-average pace they’ve seen so far.

“It is like a presidential year, and I know it’s true across the commonwealth,” said Leslie O. Kostelecky, elections administrative specialist in the Prince William County elections office. Most days, more than 500 county voters have been casting absentee ballots.

In Stafford County, Registrar Greg Riddlemoser said absentee voting is “definitely up,” adding that “it’s nowhere near a presidential year, but it’s more than a gubernatorial year.”

As of Oct. 24, more than 126,000 people had cast absentee ballots statewide since voting began Sept. 15, according to an analysis of voting data by the nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project. That’s an increase of more than 115 percent from the same point in the 2017 election, which included the governor’s race.

In Stafford County, the increase is 185 percent compared to last year, while in Prince William County it’s 135 percent.

The Virginia absentee numbers reflect the trend nationwide, where the number of people voting before Election Day is up considerably this year, according to a report in The New York Times.

“If these patterns persist, we could see a turnout rate at least equaling the turnout rate in 1966, which was 48 percent, and if we beat that then you have to go all the way back to 1914, when the turnout rate was 51 percent,” Michael McDonald, a professor of political science at the University of Florida who studies elections, told The Times. “We could be looking at a turnout rate that virtually no one has ever experienced.”

Virginia does not permit early voting, but voters who can’t make it to the polls on Election Day can qualify to vote absentee for a variety of reasons. Those include: commuting to work or being out of town on Election Day, attending college away from home, being a first responder or active military member, being pregnant, being ill or caring for someone who is ill.

A complete list of the qualifications for voting absentee can be found on the Virginia Department of Elections website.

What’s on the Ballot

This year is a midterm election, meaning it’s not a presidential election year. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and one-third of the 100 U.S. senators are up for election.

This year, that includes a Virginia statewide U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democrat Tim Kaine, the former governor, who is facing Republican Corey Stewart, the chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, and Libertarian Matt J. Waters, a Northern Virginia political fundraiser.

In addition, there are three congressional races in Prince William, Stafford, and Manassas:

• 1st District: Republican Robert J. “Rob” Wittman vs. Democrat Vangie A. Williams.
• 10th District: Republican Barbara J. Comstock vs. Democrat Jennifer T. Wexton.
• 11th District: Republican Jeff A. Dove Jr. vs. Democrat Gerald Edward Connolly vs. Libertarian Stevan M. Porter.

There are several ways to find out which congressional district you’re in, including:

• Check your voter registration online, which lists your congressional district, via the Virginia Department of Elections.
• Check via the U.S. House of Representatives website.

You can find sample ballots for your specific locality — including two constitutional amendments plus local races — via the Virginia Department of Elections website.

Absentee Voting in Prince William County

Voters in Prince William County can cast absentee ballots in person at three vote center locations:

• Main Office of Elections
  at 9250 Lee Avenue, Suite 1, in Manassas.
• DMV Office of Elections
  at 2731 Caton Hill Road in Woodbridge.
• Haymarket Gainesville Community Library at 14870 Lightner Road in Haymarket.

All vote centers will be open Monday through Friday, until Nov. 2, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In addition, they will be open the two Saturdays before Election Day — Oct. 27 and Nov. 3 — from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Complete voting information can be found at the Prince William County Office of Elections website.

Absentee Voting in Stafford County

Voters in Stafford County can cast absentee ballots in person at the elections office at 1300 Courthouse Road in Stafford.

The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In addition, the office will be open the two Saturdays before Election Day — Oct. 27 and Nov. 3 — from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

More information can be found at the Stafford County Voter Registration website.

Absentee Voting in Manassas

Voters in the city of Manassas can cast absentee ballots in person at the elections office at 9025 Center Street in Manassas.

The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be extended evening hours Oct. 24-26 and Nov. 1-2, with voting available those days from 8:30 a.m. until 9 p.m.

In addition, the elections office will be open the two Saturdays before Election Day — Oct. 27 and Nov. 3 — from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

More information can be found at the Manassas Voter Registration and Elections website.

Absentee Voting in Manassas Park

Voters in Manassas Park can cast absentee ballots in person at the elections office at City Hall, One Park Center Court, in Manassas Park.

The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In addition, the elections office will be open the two Saturdays before Election Day — Oct. 27 and Nov. 3 — from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

More information can be found at the Manassas Park Voter Registration website.

Absentee Voting by Mail

You also can vote absentee from home by having a ballot mailed to you. To get a ballot mailed, voters must submit an application, which can be found at the Virginia Department of Elections website .

The deadline for requesting to have an absentee ballot mailed is Tuesday, Oct. 30, by 5 p.m. Those completed ballots must then be returned to the elections office in your locality by the time the polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.

Three Things to Know Before You Go

• Whether you’re voting absentee or on Election Day, make sure your voter registration is up to date. You can verify that online via the Virginia Department of Elections.

• On Election Day, you need to know where your polling place is. You also can find that information online via the Virginia Department of Elections.

• No matter which method you vote, you’ll need to bring photo identification with you. There are several forms you can use — including a Virginia driver’s license or DMV-issued photo ID, a U.S. passport, and an employer or student ID. You can find a complete list of the acceptable forms of valid identification online via the Virginia Department of Elections.