The Virginia Department of Elections is encouraging voters to use absentee ballots in the upcoming May municipal elections to protect their health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Salem, Vinton and Radford will be holding elections May 5. Salem has three city council seats on the ballot. Vinton has two town council seats up for election, while Radford has two city council seats and two school board seats.
Boones Mill and Rocky Mount each have three town council seats on the ballot.
State law requires voters to provide a reason for voting absentee, but the Department of Elections has extended that to every voter because of the pandemic.
Voters can choose reason “2A My disability or illness” on their absentee ballots. This designation does not require supplemental documentation. Voters should apply for an absentee ballot as soon as possible so they can be returned in time for Election Day, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.
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The deadline to vote absentee by mail is April 28.
The General Assembly passed a bill this session that will give citizens 45 days to vote early, and without an excuse, for the November election. Gov. Ralph Northam still has to sign the bill, which would go into effect July 1.
To apply for an absentee ballot or to register to vote, visit elections.virginia.gov.