Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
A statewide special election will be held Tuesday, April 21, in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with Salem voters casting ballots on a proposed constitutional amendment involving congressional redistricting.
The ballot question asks whether the Constitution of Virginia should be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts “to restore fairness in the upcoming elections,” while ensuring the state’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census.
The deadline to register to vote or update voter registration for the election was Tuesday, April 14. Mailed registration applications were required to have been postmarked on or before that date. Same day registration will be available, though those ballots will be provisional and counted after the election if accepted.
Early voting took take place at the Salem General Registrar’s Office from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, March 6 through April 17. Additional Saturday voting hours were scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 11 and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 18.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail was 5 p.m. Friday, April 10, when applications were required to have been received by the City of Salem Registrar’s Office. Absentee ballots returned in person must be dropped off by 7 p.m. on Election Day, April 21, to be counted. Mailed absentee ballots must be postmarked on or before April 21 and received by the registrar’s office by noon April 24.
Ballot drop-off stations will be available at the City of Salem Registrar’s Office during early voting hours, with after-hours access through the front door slot. On Election Day only, an additional drop-off location will be available in the Salem Civic Center Community Room lobby from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
All precincts will vote at the Salem Civic Center on Election Day. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The sample ballot instructs voters to fill in the oval next to “Yes” or “No” on the proposed amendment. Voters who make a mistake may request another ballot.
