Early voting for the 2024 election has started. Here are 7 things to know.

Early voting for the 2024 general election began in Virginia on Friday, Sept. 20, giving Henrico’s more than 245,000 registered voters the opportunity to start casting their ballots.

This year’s races include the 2024 presidential election, congressional seats and a proposed amendment to the Virginia Constitution. From polling locations to registration and important dates, here are seven things residents need to know about early voting.

Where do I vote? Early voting locations across Henrico

County voters can cast their early ballots at locations of the Office of Voter Registration and Elections at the Henrico Government Center and Eastern Government Center from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays through Friday, Nov. 1.

The offices will open for in-person voting on the two Saturdays prior to Election Day, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Oct. 26 and Nov. 2.

An additional early-voting location will open at Varina Area Library from Oct. 21 to Nov. 2.

Voter registration: How to check your status

Use the Virginia Department of Elections’ online Citizen Portal to see if you’re registered to vote. The form will ask for your name, date of birth, last four digits of your Social Security number and locality.

If you’re not registered, there are several ways you can do so, including through the online portal, at the Voter Registration and Elections offices or at Virginia DMV offices. A full list of locations is available from the Department of Elections.

How can I request an absentee ballot?

You can use the online Citizen Portal to apply to vote absentee by mail. People can also send a printable application by mail to PO Box 90775, Henrico, VA 23273-0775; by fax at (804) 501-5081; in person at both Henrico Voter Registration and Elections locations; or by emailing Henrico County General Registrar Mark J. Coakley at [email protected].

Voters can return completed absentee ballots to drop boxes — installed at the two Voter Registration and Elections offices, Varina and Tuckahoe Area libraries and Deep Run Recreation Center — beginning Sept. 20.

What races will be on the ballot? Where to find sample ballots

Voter Registration and Elections has sample ballots online broken down by two congressional districts (Henrico falls within Virginia’s 1^st and 4^th districts).

The 2024 general election will include contests for U.S. president, one of Virginia’s U.S. Senate seats and U.S. House seats.

The ballot will also include a “yes” or “no” referendum on a proposed amendment to the Virginia Constitution: “Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended so that the tax exemption that is currently available to the surviving spouses of soldiers killed in action is also available to the surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty?”

What congressional district do I live in?

Use the Virginia General Assembly’s “Who’s My Legislator?” tool to find which legislator represents you. After you enter your address, the tool will show your representative in Congress and the congressional district boundary.

When is Election Day?

Nov. 5. Henrico’s 90 polling sites will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Use the Virginia Department of Elections’ online Citizen Portal to find your polling place.

Important dates and deadlines

• Deadline to register to vote or update an existing registration: Tuesday, Oct. 15. Those who register after this day will use a provisional ballot to vote in the 2024 election.
• Deadline to apply for an absentee by mail ballot: Friday, Oct. 25.  Voter Registration and Elections must receive the request by 5 p.m. that day.
• Last day of in person early voting: Saturday, Nov. 2, at 5 p.m.

Additional voting information — such as accepted forms of identification and tutorials for using voting equipment— is available from Voter Registration and Elections.