Dear Cavalier Daily readers:
With respect to the article which appeared in The Daily Progress on Sept. 7, reporting on the Millennial Civic Engagement Task Force and the difficulties that some University students are having in determining their correct voting precinct for the upcoming Nov. 7 general election, we would like to pass on what we hope will be a few helpful tips.
First of all, voters who are already registered to vote in Virginia may look up their voter registration status and polling place information online at the Department of Elections website. Be sure to enter the correct locality. Most University housing is in Albemarle, not Charlottesville.
The Department of Elections website also includes a “polling place lookup” function based only on the street address. Many other popular sites promoting voter registration use this same type of lookup. There are two issues. First, it does not confirm that you are registered to vote. Secondly, most students residing in University student housing are registered by the name and room number of their building, not by their street address, and may not be able to find their information.
But, do not despair! This is what your local voter registration offices are here for. That would be us. If you have any questions about your registration status, or where to vote on Election Day, please give us a call. The County office number is 434-972-4173. The City office number is 434-970-3250.
Next, if you have a valid Virginia driver’s license, you may register to vote, or update a current registration to a new residence address, online, again by going to the Department of Elections website. Others may use the online site to complete a voter registration application but will be told to print, sign and mail the form to complete the process. Mailed applications must be postmarked by Oct. 16, which is also the deadline to register to vote in time for the November election.
If you are registering to vote either online, or by using a conventional, hard-copy, voter registration application form, please be sure to provide all of the required information on the form, including citizenship status, full social security number, name, date of birth, residence address, history of felony conviction or adjudication of incapacity and also be sure to sign and date the form. Omitting any of the required information will require us to deny the application. We would much rather register eligible voters, than deny applications because of an inadvertent omission.
Finally, regarding the questions raised in the Daily Progress article as to why there could not be one single central location for all University students to vote, this is because the City of Charlottesville and surrounding Albemarle County are separate political subdivisions, and Virginia law requires voters to register to vote where they reside, and to vote in the precinct in which they reside. The city-county boundary line snakes up and down and around and through the University grounds. As a result, some students live in the City, and under Virginia law must vote in the City, whereas others live in the County, and must vote in the County.
Admittedly, it’s a bit complicated, but all part of life’s rich pageantry. If you may have an issue getting to your polling place on Election Day, consider absentee voting. The most convenient and fail-safe method (no lost/delayed mail) is absentee voting in your local registrar’s office, Sept. 22 through Nov. 4 during regular office hours and on two Saturdays, Oct. 28 and Nov. 4. Again, voters registered in Albemarle County would vote at the County office, and those registered in Charlottesville in the City office. Call us for more information. It’s important to make sure you are registered at your current address and know where you vote, whether absentee or on Election Day.
Please give us a call if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Richard J. Washburne, General Registrar of Voters, Albemarle County
Rosanna L. Bencoach, General Registrar of Voters, City of Charlottesville (CLAS 81)
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