Written by Sophia Vance, Staff Reporter
Several important dates are coming up for voting in midterm elections this fall, including early voting registration and mail-in ballots.
The upcoming midterm elections will determine Virginia representatives for the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Virginia House of Delegates, and several local offices.
Although election day isn’t officially until Nov. 3, early in-person voting has already begun and will continue until Oct. 31. Early voting can be useful to avoid the potential crowds and traffic of election day. This can be accomplished at a registrar’s office, and the closest of these to Roanoke College is the City of Salem General Registrar’s Office.
Additionally, the last available day that voter registration is open is October 23. Same Day Registration is available at the Salem office, but there are stricter limitations to what the office can accept if a voter chooses this option. Voters can also register online at the Virginia Department of Elections website, and physical registration applications will be provided at most state or local offices, armed forces recruitment offices, and public libraries.
October 23 at 5p.m is also the last day voters can request absentee ballots by mail. Again, this is a good strategy for those who will be out of state for election day or who simply wish to avoid the long lines of November 3. Mail in ballots must be postmarked on or before noon on this day in order to be eligible for counting.
The primary candidates for the Senate election are Mark Warner and Bert Mizusawa. Mark Warner, an incumbent, is the primary candidate for the Democratic party (D), running unopposed within his party. He has held the position of Senator since 2009, and before that he served as the Governor of Virginia. Key issues within his campaign are public safety, healthcare affordability, national security, and artificial intelligence policies. Bert Mizusawa, the Republican party (R) primary, served as a major general of the United States Army and is seeking his first term in the Senate. His campaign is most heavily concerned with fiscal responsibility, lowering healthcare costs, defending the military and veterans, and nuclear energy.
Elections for the House of Representatives depend on what congressional district a voter is registered in. Voters can use government websites to determine their congressional district, as counties or cities can often be divided between multiple districts. For example, Roanoke County is both the 6th and 9th congressional district of Virginia.
Northeastern parts of Roanoke County, such as Hollins and Cloverdale, belong to the 6th district. This district has the options of the primary candidates Ben Cline (R, incumbent) and Beth Macy (D). Southern parts of Roanoke County like Cave Springs belong to the 9th district and are voting on several candidates including the primaries H. Morgan Griffith (R, incumbent) and Joy A. Powers (D). Although primary candidates can serve as a good representation of what voters might be looking for in a candidate, it’s also important to vote according to what candidate most aligns with a person’s personal beliefs rather than party identity or popularity.
If a person is not registered to vote in Virginia, they can find details about how to vote in their state Department of Elections website. Whatever party alignment or lack thereof a person might have, expressing their civil values by voting is an important part of being a citizen. If there is a subject someone feels strongly about or change they want to see, research, participation in local elections, and other peaceful civil participation is the best way to accomplish that. The country benefits from hearing more people’s voices- voting is imperative to accomplish this.
