News & Press Releases

For Immediate Release:
October 6, 2021

For more information:
Andrea M. Gaines
media@elections.virginia.gov

WITNESS SIGNATURE REQUIREMENTS: WITNESS SIGNATURE REQUIRED ON ALL ABSENTEE BALLOTS

RICHMOND, Va –The Virginia Department of Elections wants to remind voters that witness signatures are required on all absentee ballots being cast in the 2021 General Election.

If a general registrar finds after examining a returned absentee ballot envelope that the witness signature is missing, the voter will be notified within three days after receipt in the registrar’s office that the ballot requires modification. The voter will have until noon on the third-day after the election (November 5, 2021) to correct their ballot in order for it to be counted.

ELECT encourages voters to return their absentee ballot at their earliest convenience. A voter may return their absentee ballot by delivering it to:

• The USPS or a commercial delivery service (such as FedEx or UPS). All absentee ballots include pre-paid postage through the USPS;
• A drop-off location listed on their county or city’s official website;
• The Office of the General Registrar in their county or city; or,
• Any polling place within their county or city on Election Day.

Completed absentee ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by local registrars by noon on Friday, November 5. 2021. If a ballot is personally delivered, it must be returned to the general registrar’s office or drop-off location by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.

Voters who have requested an absentee ballot can track their ballot here: https://v2.ballotscout.org/virginia/search/state. If a voter is concerned that they do not have enough time to return their ballot by mail, ELECT encourages voters to personally deliver their ballot to their local general registrar’s office, a ballot drop-off location, or vote in-person.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 2, 2021

Contact For More Information:
Andrea M. Gaines
(804) 864-8928
Andrea.Gaines@elections.virginia.gov

STATEWIDE RISK-LIMITING AUDIT OF NOVEMBER 2020 ELECTION COMPLETED

RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Elections’ (ELECT) Commissioner Christopher Piper announced today that Virginia’s elections administrators have successfully completed the state’s risk-limiting audit (RLA). The audit confirmed that the original count of the votes accurately portrayed the winners of the election in Virginia for United States President and Senate.

Pursuant to Va. Code §24.2-671.1, ELECT is required to coordinate an annual post-election RLA of ballot scanner machines used in the Commonwealth of Virginia. ELECT collaborated with VotingWorks, a non-profit organization that assists with RLAs across the country. All 133 localities in Virginia participated in the audit.

“The success of Virginia’s first statewide audit reaffirms our dedication to ensuring secure and accurate elections for our voters,” said Christopher Piper, Virginia’s Commissioner of Elections. “I am proud of the hard work that our election administrators do in the Commonwealth, and this audit further exemplifies the integrity and validity of the 2020 November General Election results”.

The statewide audit provided opportunities for all localities and the public to participate. The audit results were reported today during a meeting with Virginia’s general registrars and electoral board members. You can find a copy of the audit results on our website: www.elections.virginia.gov. Video recordings of this meeting and previous RLA meetings are available on our website.

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