HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Over the weekend, thousands of voters came out in droves, taking the last chance to cast their ballot before Election Day.
According to the Henrico County's General Registrar, 65,229 residents have voted in person thus far. More than 25,000 ballots were sent by mail, and so far, around 20,000 ballots have been returned.
General Registrar Mark Coakley knows the safety of those ballots is top of mind.
"We have the ballots locked up in cages in a locked ballot room, we have ballot control procedures, we know how many ballots go out and come back. We do daily logs for absentee voting, so we know how many ballots have been issued every day, that’s about it," Coakley said on the last day of early voting.
Protecting the election process in Henrico is one that continues well after the results are in.
"So, on Nov. 20th, we are going to hand select precincts and then hand count those ballots to make sure they match up with what the tapes had on election day with the number of ballots cast, to verify that the machines are working in proper order," Coakley said.
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According to the Department of Justice, members of its Civil Rights Division staff will monitor for compliance with federal voting laws on Election Day in 86 jurisdictions across the country, including Henrico County.
Coakley sent an email to CBS 6 Sunday saying: "With the DOJ, I am honored to see them come down to Henrico to watch our excellent election officers run our voting precincts with the great integrity and respect for the election laws and statutes in place. Voting is honest and secure in Henrico. I expect the DOJ officials to spend more time at Short Pump mall than our polling places."
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Justice Department officials are also expected to be in Hanover County on Election Day.
CBS 6 reached out to Hanover's General Registrar but has not heard back as of late Sunday.
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In Richmond, 36,000 people have voted in person, and around 7,000 people will have voted by mail, equating to only about 26% of all registered voters in the city.
Richmond Registrar Keith Balmer says protecting ballots means preparation for an influx of voters on Tuesday.
“We keep elections safe by ensuring that our voting rolls are accurate, our voting machines are tested, by ensuring that our election officers receive the proper training that they’re supposed to receive," Balmer said.
Did you cast your ballot on the final day of early voting? Weigh in on the WTVR CBS 6 Facebook page.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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