TAZEWELL, Virginia – Area residents hoping to vote by mail in Virginia’s closely watched gubernatorial race will need to apply for a ballot before 5 p.m. today. Early voting, meanwhile, continues until Saturday, October 30.

The governor’s race is attracting a lot of attention in Virginia and across the country. Some polls now suggest the race between Republican Glen Youngkin and Democrat Terry McAuliffe is a statistical tie, which is helping fuel voter interest in the contest.

In Tazewell County, 1,775 people have already voted early, according to County Registrar Brian Earls. Early in-person voting continues at the Tazewell County voter registration office until Saturday, October 30.

In order to accommodate local voters, the North Tazewell Registrar’s office will also be open on Saturday October 23 and Saturday October 30 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days for an early vote. The Voter Registration Office in Tazewell County is located at 2848 Riverside Drive, North Tazewell, near the Kentucky Fried Chicken / Pizza Hut Combination Restaurant.

While the number of early votes to date is still lower than counted in the 2020 presidential election, Earls estimates that up to 3,000 people could vote early in Tazewell County by October 30.

“Especially with a week and a half left, these are still your busiest days,” Earls said of early voting. “So I think we’ll hit 3,000. Especially on last Saturday they came out really strong.

Many will also wait until November 2 to vote at their regular polling station on election day.

Virginia is one of only two states to elect a governor this year, and the contest is being watched closely by political observers as a potential barometer for the 2022 midterm elections where the House of Representatives scrutinizes and the US Senate will again be up for grabs.

Earls said some of the voters who voted earlier in the year were eager to vote.

“Some were very motivated to vote,” he said. “I think in part because (the governor’s race) is getting a lot of national attention.”

So far 530 people in Tazewell County have voted by mail, and another 300 mail ballots have been issued but not yet returned, according to Earls.

Voters who wish to vote by mail in the election have until 5 p.m. today, October 22, to request that a ballot be sent to them.

The witness signature requirement is still in effect for postal ballots in Virginia. If a witness’s signature is missing on a ballot, the voter will be contacted within three days of its receipt by their local voter registration office and asked to correct it, according to the Virginia Department of Elections. The ballot must be corrected before noon on Friday, November 5 to be counted.

Voters can request a mail-in ballot online at the elections department’s citizen portal vote.elections.virginia.gov or by downloading a paper request at elections.virginia.gov/registration/voter-forms.

“If you make a request, or if you meet the deadline and request a ballot by mail, the restriction must be postmarked before election day and must be received by Tuesday, November 2,” Earls said.

A secure drop box is also located at the voter registration office in North Tazewell.

“If you’re worried your ballot isn’t arriving on time, this is your official ballot box,” Earls said. “We will accept them until 7 pm on polling day. It’s just a slit on the outside that brings them (the ballots) into our office.

There’s more to Virginia’s ballot than just the governor’s race. Local elections will also be determined on November 2 in Tazewell County.

Earls said two county supervisory board seats will also be on the ballot, with only one contested.

At South District headquarters, incumbent Mike Hymes, who is an independent, is challenged by Democrat Bill Bunch and Republican Aaron Gillespie.

West District Supervisor Tom Lester is now the Chief of Staff to State Senator Travis Hackworth and is not running for re-election.

Republican Andy Hrovatic is running unopposed for this seat.

Two school board seats are also on the ballot, Earls said, with two incumbents running unopposed: South District Council Member Irene Mullins and West District Council Member Chris Moir.

Two special elections are also on the ballot.

In Bluefield, Va., Cathy Payne, who had been appointed to fill the remaining term of retired city council member Jimmy Jones, is running unopposed for the seat.

In Richlands, a city council seat left vacant by Rod Curry when he took office as mayor following the resignation of former mayor Paul Crawford is open.

Jeffrey Hurst has been nominated to take the seat and will face two challengers in the election: Gary Wayne Jackson and Laura Mollo.

– Contact Charles Owens at [email protected]