Absentee & Early Voting

Overview of Early In-Person and Absentee By Mail Dates/Deadlines

Early in-person absentee voting will take place at our office in Vinton (900 Chestnut St.) starting at 8 AM on Friday, September 23. Early voting will be offered at Vinton between 8 AM and 4 PM from Monday, September 26 through Friday, November 4.
Saturday early in-person voting hours will be offered at our office in Vinton and our satellite office at the Brambleton Center (3738 Brambleton Ave.) from 8 AM to 4 PM on Saturday, October 29 and from 9 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, November 5.
The deadline to submit a request to receive an absentee ballot by mail is 5 PM on Friday, October 28. The deadline to return a voted absentee ballot in a completed Envelope B is NOON on Friday, November 12.
If you requested an absentee ballot by mail and decide that you would rather vote in-person, we ask that you bring your unmarked, unvoted absentee ballot with you to exchange for a new ballot should you decide to vote early in-person or at your assigned voter precinct on Election Day instead.

Vote Early In Person

Registered voters are permitted to cast their ballots early in person beginning 45 days prior to Election Day and ending on the Saturday immediately before Election Day. No application is required to vote absentee (early) in person, but please confirm/update your voter registration via the Virginia Department of Elections’ Voter Information Portal (click ‘Check registration status’) prior to visiting our office. Our regular office hours are 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday.

Locations, Dates, and Times to Vote Early In Person

Roanoke County Elections Office
900 Chestnut St. Vinton, VA 24179
- Begins Friday, September 23
- Available Friday, September 23 and Monday, September 26 through Friday, November 4 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
- Special Saturday Hours:
  - Saturday, October 29 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
  - Saturday, November 5 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (last day for absentee in-person voting).
Brambleton Center Elections Satellite Office
3738 Brambleton Ave., Roanoke, VA 24018
- Available Monday, October 24 through Friday, November 4 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
- Special Saturday Hours:
  - Saturday, October 29 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
  - Saturday, November 5 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (last day for absentee in-person voting).
Last Day to vote Absentee In-Person: Saturday, November 5 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Additional Information about Early Voting In Person

Virginia no longer requires voters to provide an excuse to vote early; any voter who wants to cast their ballot before Election Day is eligible to do so.
You must provide your name and address and show an acceptable form of ID.
Learn more about Voter Identification Requirements.
Curbside voting is available upon request for voters with special needs, illnesses, and who are 65 years of age or older.

*If you have already requested to receive an absentee ballot by mail and decided that you would rather vote early in person instead, PLEASE BRING YOUR UNVOTED MAIL-IN BALLOT WITH YOU when you come to vote!*

Vote Absentee By Mail

IMPORTANT NOTICE! Due to the end of Virginia’s declared Covid-19 Public Health Emergency, voting regulations relaxed for the May 2020, June 2020, November 2020, and June 2021 elections are back in force beginning with the November 2021 General Election:

Marked ballots may only be returned or dropped off by the individual voter who requested the ballot. A ballot returned in person or dropped off by anyone other than the voter who requested it will be rejected.
Witness signatures are required on absentee Envelope B.

We begin mailing absentee ballots out to voters with valid requests on file 45 days prior to Election Day. We stop mailing absentee ballots out to voters 10 days prior to Election Day; our last batch of absentee ballots goes out by 5:00 PM on the 11th day before Election Day.

Apply to Vote by Mail

Using an Online Application:
- Visit the Virginia Department of Elections’ Voter Information Portal and click ‘Apply to Vote Absentee by Mail’ to submit your application to vote absentee by mail online.
- You can check on the status of your absentee application 48-72 hours after apply by logging back into the Virginia Department of Elections’ Voter Information Portal and clicking "Check registration status".
Using Virginia Absentee Ballot Forms & Submitting via Mail or Email:
- You may also download and complete the Virginia Absentee Ballot Application Form or the Virginia Permanent Absentee Voter Single Election Change Form (ONLY if you already have an active ongoing absentee ballot application on file).
- Return your completed application to the Roanoke County Dept. of Elections by mail to P.O. Box 20884 Roanoke, VA 24018, You may also email your signed and completed application to us at elections@roanokecountyva.gov, fax it to us at (504) 772-2115 (please call 30 minutes later to ensure your fax was received), or drop your application off in person at our office located at 900 Chestnut St. Vinton, VA 24179.
Deadline to Request an Absentee Ballot by Mail
Completed absentee ballot applications must be received no later than 5:00 PM, 11 days prior to Election Day; the deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail for the upcoming election is Friday, October 28 at 5:00 PM.
Witness Signature Required on Envelope B
We are happy to serve as witnesses for those voters who are immunocompromised or still practicing social distancing. To use this service, a voter must return their ballot in person via curbside service or inside our office at 900 Chestnut Street in Vinton, and let us know that they need a witness signature on Envelope B.

Drop Off Your Marked Absentee Ballot In Person

Ballots may be returned in person at our office in Vinton or our satellite office at the Brambleton Center during the dates and times listed under the Early In Person Voting section above.

Mail Your Marked Absentee Ballot

Your ballot must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by our office no later than 12:00 noon on the Friday following Election Day in order to be counted. Mail marked ballots to the Roanoke County Dept. of Elections at either of the following addresses:

900 Chestnut Street P.O. Box 20884
Vinton, VA 24179 Roanoke, VA 24018

Return Your Marked Ballot on Election Day

Return your marked ballot at ANY Roanoke County polling place open from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM or at the Roanoke County Dept. of Elections (900 Chestnut St. Vinton, VA 24179) between 6:00 AM and 7:00 PM – just ask for the Voted Ballot Drop Bag.

Additional Information About Voting Absentee by Mail

Visit the Virginia Department of Elections’ Voter Information Portal to:

Confirm that your absentee ballot application was submitted/received (if returning your application by mail, please remember to allow at least 5-7 business days for it to arrive).
Check your absentee ballot application’s approval status (you will only receive notification by mail if our office cannot approve your absentee ballot application as submitted; Virginia law does not require and Virginia’s voter registration system does not permit our office to send notice of each approved application).
See whether our office has mailed your absentee ballot out to you or received and checked-in your voted ballot.

Ballot Tracker

If voting absentee by mail, please bear in mind that our Ballot Tracker tool is ONLY capable of tracking ballots mailed out and returned via the U.S. Postal Service. Ballot Tracker will not display accurate information about the movement of ballots sent or returned through any other means (e.g., personal delivery to our office, in a ballot drop-bag, at the polls on Election Day, etc.) or other carriers (e.g., FedEx, UPS, etc.).

Deciding to Vote Early In Person Instead of By Mail

If you applied to vote absentee by mail and later decided that you would rather vote early in-person at our office, please bring your unused absentee ballot and all related envelopes with you when you come to vote.