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Urbanna
Thursday, March 28, 2024

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Middlesex Co. voters to cast ballots Tuesday

by Don Richeson – 

Nearly a third of Middlesex County’s 8,458 registered voters had already cast ballots as of Monday, according to Middlesex Registrar Melissa Welch, who predicted above average voter participation in the 2020 general election. Despite the surge in early voting, many remaining voters will still go to the polls this Tuesday, Nov. 3, Election Day, to help decide who will serve as U.S. president in the coming four years.

They will also vote “yes” or “no” on two proposed state constitutional amendments and choose among two candidates vying for Virginia’s First District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as two candidates seeking a U.S. Senate seat. Also, Urbanna voters will vote in the town council and mayor elections.

Urbanna sample ballots are on page A7 inside.

Voting hours are 6 a.m.-7 p.m. at the six Middlesex County voting locations. The locations, in alphabetical order by precinct, include:

  • Harmony Village Precinct — Cryer Center, 7485 General Puller Highway, Locust Hill.   
  • Hartfield Precinct — The Middlesex Family YMCA building, 11487 General Puller Highway, Hartfield.
  • Jamaica Precinct — Hermitage Baptist Church, 94 Wares Bridge Road, Church View.
  • Pinetop Precinct — Middlesex County Volunteer Rescue Squad building, 17684 General Puller Highway,  Deltaville.
  • Saluda Precinct — Cooks Corner Office Complex public meeting room, 2889 General Puller Highway, Cooks Corner; and Middlesex Volunteer Fire Department building, 335 Virginia St., Urbanna.

Your precinct is listed on your voter registration card. You can also find out by calling the registrar’s office.

ID required to vote

Virginia law requires you to show one acceptable ID to vote.

According to the Virginia Department of Elections website, you can show any of the following IDs to vote:

  • Voter confirmation documents.
  • Virginia driver’s license.
  • Virginia DMV-issued photo ID.
  • United States passport.
  • Employer-issued photo ID.
  • Student ID issued by any community college or university located in the United States.
  • Other U.S. or Virginia government-issued photo ID.
  • Tribal enrollment or other tribal photo ID.
  • Virginia voter photo ID card.
  • A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document containing the name and address of the voter.

For a more detailed list, visit https://www.elections.virginia.gov/, or call the registrar’s office at 804-758-4420.

Voting machines

For the Nov. 3 general and special elections, voters in Middlesex County will make their selections by filling in small red boxes on paper ballots. The voter will then feed the ballots into a machine that scans the ballots, records the vote, and keeps the paper ballots for back-up, Welch said.

The voting equipment, known as the Unisyn OpenElect®Optical Scan, is a comprehensive and secure paper-wbased digital optical scan voting system that both validates and tabulates ballots at each precinct.

Here’s the voting procedure in Middlesex:

The voter will be given a paper ballot in a security sleeve. Once at the voting booth, the voter will fill in the red box to the left of the candidate (or YES or NO to the proposed amendments) he or she would like to select. After the voter has reviewed their selections and is ready to cast the ballot, the voter will insert the paper ballot into the digital scanner. The scanner will count the ballot, which will then drop into the ballot box below the scanner. The paper ballots are collected at the end of Election Day, secured, and can be used in case of a recount, said Welch.

Another component of the Unisyn OpenElect system allows voters with disabilities to cast their ballots using a specialized touch screen or ADA keypad. People with vision impairments, hearing issues or physical disabilities can use this machine that allows voters to prepare ballots independently and privately, and allows voters to correct any mistakes. This system is fully compliant with the Help American Voter Act and will allow the voter to review his vote and print the ballot on demand to deposit it directly into the scanner.

Curbside voting

If a voter is 65 or older, or has a physical disability, he or she may vote on Election Day without leaving their vehicle; this is called curbside voting.

Election officers will be stationed outside to assist any voter in the designated parking spot. All precincts in Middlesex offer curbside voting.

Steps for safe voting

Registrar Welch listed various steps being taken to keep voters safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. These include limiting the number of persons in the polling place, the use of six-foot spaced social distancing markers on the floor or sidewalk, having all  election officers wear personal protective equipment (PPE) and having hand sanitizer stations at polling place entrances with signage encouraging its use.

Additionally, the voting areas will be cleaned and disinfected using Centers for Disease Control guidelines and security sleeves and pens are for one-time use — the voter should take them home.

Some results may be delayed

“Unofficial results” will generate throughout the evening of Nov. 3 in the link below the instant they are reported to the Election’s Office:

However, in Virginia, VoteByMail ballots may be counted up until noon Friday, Nov. 6, if they are postmarked by Election Day. Therefore, results are incomplete until then.

The Electoral Board will certify the results from the Urbanna Town elections and the State Board of Elections will certify the results on Nov. 16.