VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — We are a week away from the Nov. 3 election. So far a record-breaking number of Virginians have voted early and it doesn’t seem likely to slow down anytime soon.
According to the nonprofit the Virginia Public Access Project, as of Monday, Oct. 26, 115,000 people have voted early in Virginia Beach. In Norfolk, 53,000 people voted early as of Monday.
On Tuesday, WAVY News visited the Great Neck Recreation Center and the Bayside Recreation Center in Virginia Beach. Both had lines wrapped around the building. The average wait to cast a ballot hovered around an hour.
Lines were long, but complaints were few. Each voter 10 On Your Side spoke with said the wait was worth it.
Voters showed up for an array of reasons.
“I’m voting early today because my brother is part of the LGBTQ community and his life matters,” said one voter.
“I think the most important thing to vote for right now is school board in Virginia Beach,” said another voter named Michelle.
With so much attention on the national election, Michelle wants people to also pay close attention to local races.
“Do some research on the local candidates. See how they voted in past votes that they placed to represent our community,” Michelle said.
A reminder, early voting ends this Saturday, Oct. 31.
Satellite voting locations opening Monday in Virginia Beach
List: Early voting locations in Hampton Roads, in-person deadline is Oct. 31
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