News Flash

**May 19, 2020 Update - Please note, the absentee ballot drop off box is located in the BACK of the building. You can do so until 7:00 pm. on May, 19, 2020.** 

April 24, 2020 - Local elections in Virginia, including Hampton races for mayor, city council and school board, will be postponed for two weeks - from May 5 to May 19, by an executive order from Gov. Ralph Northam. Earlier this week, the  Virginia Senate rejected Northam’s plan to move local elections to November.

The governor urged voters to use an absentee ballot so they can avoid lines at the polls. He said the state would do everything possible to protect poll workers and make sure polling places are safe. The Board of Elections has also recommended that people vote absentee this year to facilitate social distancing. According to state law, the governor had the power to delay the election by two weeks, or the General Assembly can reconvene and select a different date.

How to request an absentee ballot 

Fill out the online form. (https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/absentee-voting/). If you can’t use the online form, you can download and print a form (https://www.elections.virginia.gov/media/formswarehouse/absentee-voting/applications/SBE-701-Absentee-Ballot-Application-Rev7-17-long.pdf  or call the registrar’s office  at 757-727-6218 to have one mailed to you. You must have the completed form back to the registrar by May 12. Completed ballots must be returned by the time the polls close. They should be:

• Mailed to: 1919 Commerce Dr. Suite 280 Hampton VA 23666 (the address will be on the envelope provided in ballot packet)
• Postmarked by: No postmark – the ballot has to be received in the registrar’s office no later than 7 p.m. election day
• Dropped off at the registrar’s office, 1919 Commerce Dr. Suite 280, Hampton, Va, 23666 between the hours of 8:30-5 p.m. (slip in between glass doors)
• They cannot be faxed or emailed back

  If voters have any questions, they can call the registrar’s office at 757-727-6218. To see a sample ballot, go to https://hampton.gov/DocumentCenter/View/30289/Sample-Ballot-for-May-5-2020-election. 

Candidates’ Forums

For those who want more information on the candidates, a group of non-partisan neighborhood and civic groups have worked together to schedule a series of virtual candidates’ forums:

• Monday, April 27: School Board Candidates
• Tuesday, April 28: City Council Candidates
• Wednesday, April 29: Candidates for Mayor

The forums are currently set to air live at 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday on Facebook and the city’s cable channels (Cox 47 and FIOS 22). They will also be streamed live on www.hampton.gov.

The forums are brought to you by the Olde Wythe Neighborhood Association, Riverdale Recreation and Civic Association, Insight Enterprises Inc., Peninsula Center for Independent Living, Hampton Youth Commission, Hampton Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Hampton Newport News Community Services Board and National Alliance on Mental Illness Hampton/Newport News. The City of Hampton supplied infrastructure support.