In-person absentee voters in the special election for Virginia’s Senate District 22 will have more time to cast their vote thanks to the snow.

With Gov. Terry McAuliffe declaring a state of emergency Friday due to fast-approaching inclement weather, the Commissioner of the Department of Elections extended the Saturday in-person absentee voting deadline for the three legislative special elections occurring Tuesday in multiple localities across the commonwealth.

In Farmville, Buckingham, Cumberland and Prince Edward counties, voters will go to the polls Tuesday to elect a new state Senator. They’ll choose between Republican Mark Peake, Democrat Ryant Washington and independent conservative Joe Hines.

The new deadline is Monday at 2 p.m. to ensure appropriate access for all eligible voters who may be unable to go to the polls Tuesday and unable to vote absentee in person Saturday due to the declared state of emergency. The deadline to return a mailed absentee ballot for the special election is Tuesday at 7 p.m.

There is no early voting in Virginia. However, there are 19 acceptable reasons for voting absentee, including military service, illness, being away from home, pregnancy, a long commute that would keep you from getting to the polls and more. A full list of qualifying reasons to vote absentee can be found at the Department of Elections Citizen Portal at vote.virginia.gov. Also on the website, voters can find office hours and contact information for their local voter registration office, see what is on their ballot, find their polling location and check their absentee ballot status.
Virginia law requires voters to present an acceptable photo ID when voting in person. For a full list of acceptable forms of photo identification or to learn how to obtain a free Virginia Voter Photo ID card, visit vote.virginia.gov. Voters can also contact the Department of Elections’ toll free number at 1-800-552-9745 or their local voter registration office at elections.virginia.gov/LocalGR.