Photo by Matt de Simone
By Matt de Simone
Early in-person voting for the April 21 special election began Friday, March 6, at the Botetourt County Voter Registration and Elections Office.
Voters may cast ballots at the registrar’s office during regular business hours, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office is located at 2 East Main Street in Fincastle.
The special election will ask Virginia voters to decide a proposed constitutional amendment related to congressional redistricting. The question on the ballot asks whether the state constitution should be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in upcoming elections, while ensuring the state’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census.
Voters will mark “Yes” or “No” on the ballot to indicate their choice.
This proposed amendment has drawn claims from local officials and citizens that a “yes” vote would enable partisan redistricting allowing “the majority party to unilaterally redraw Virginia’s congressional districts mid-decade, effectively bypassing the bipartisan redistricting commission that Virginians overwhelmingly approved in 2020” as Del. Terry Austin shared in a recent report from the 2026 House sessions in Richmond.
Several key deadlines are approaching ahead of the April election.
The deadline to request a mailed absentee ballot is 5 p.m. on Friday, April 10. Requests must be received in the registrar’s office by that time, or submitted online by 4:59 p.m.
The deadline to register to vote or update an existing voter registration is Tuesday, April 14, by 5 p.m. for in-person submissions. Online voter registration will remain available until 11:59 p.m. that day.
The registrar’s office will also open for two Saturdays to allow additional in-person absentee voting opportunities. The first Saturday opening will be April 11 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The final day to vote early in person will be Saturday, April 18, when the office will be open from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Election Day is Tuesday, April 21. Polls across Botetourt County will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Residents can register to vote, update their voter registration information, or apply for a vote-by-mail ballot through the Virginia Department of Elections website or by contacting the Botetourt County registrar’s office at 540-928-2120.
Looking ahead to the August 4 primary, election officials are also reminding voters about key dates for the primary election.
Early in-person voting for the primary will begin June 18 at the registrar’s office. The office will be closed June 19 for the Juneteenth holiday.
The deadline to register or update voter registration for the primary is July 24 at 5 p.m., which is also the deadline to request a mailed absentee ballot.
Saturday early voting will be available July 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the final day for in-person absentee voting scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The primary election will be held Tuesday, Aug. 4, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters must vote in their assigned precinct on Election Day. There is no voting in the registrar’s office on Election Day.
