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Early voting turnout hits record numbers in Virginia

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September 23, 2020 at 5:34 p.m. EDT
Voters wait to cast ballots for the Nov. 3 general election at the Fairfax County Government Center on Sept. 18, the first day of early voting. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post)

RICHMOND — Record numbers of Virginians are voting early and requesting absentee ballots this year, as the coronavirus pandemic and newly loosened election laws reshape Old Dominion voting habits in a presidential year.

Some 100,356 voters have cast ballots in person since early voting began Friday, while 884,032 have requested absentee ballots, state elections officials reported on Wednesday. In all of 2016, just under 353,000 Virginians opted for early in-person voting and about 185,000 voted absentee by mail, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project.