RICHMOND, Va. -- Saturday marks the first of two weekend voting opportunities for Virginia voters ahead of Election Day, Nov. 7. Every local election department will offer early voting at their main office or satellite locations, if available, generally between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The two Saturday voting days are Oct. 28 and Nov. 4, which is also the final day of early, in-person voting.
Every single seat in the Virginia statehouse is up for grabs, and whichever party wins power in the legislature will significantly guide the direction of Virginia government the next two years, with Republican Glenn Youngkin in the Governor's Office.
There are also hundreds of county/city level races and two major voter referendums in Central Virginia: the potential to switch to an elected school board in Hanover County and another vote on whether or not to bring a casino to Richmond.
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As of Friday morning, approaching 440,000 voters cast ballots early in this election, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
Cooper Killen and Lila Kelso were two of those early voters. With a smile, the pair said they have a "functional friendship," choosing often to tackle mutual tasks together.
"We do things together like errands because you need to do them anyway, and then they're more fun," Killen said.
"Exercising our right to vote!" Kelso said, as they both gestured toward the registrar's office. “I feel like it was instilled at me from a young age that like my voice is important, even though it's one of many. I feel like also in off-year elections, it's even more important to vote because our voice matters exponentially more than even in a presidential election year.”
Both Killen and Kelso said they found the overall outcomes of the big ticket items on the ballot this year intriguing.
"I think it'd be really interesting to see where the general public lands on [the Richmond casino] because it makes a big statement about what people are wanting and valuing," Killen said.
“It’s unique that everyone is up for election at the exact time, like every single seat is up for contest. So, I think that's an interesting opportunity to shift everything one way or the other quickly," Kelso said about the General Assembly elections.
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As you might expect, they both love the functionality of early voting and back weekend voting too.
"We are both fortunate that we have jobs that allow us to have some more flexibility, but that's not true for most people. And so I think to allow people to have the opportunity to have their voice heard, it’s important to expand the actual like timing," Kelso said.
If you have more questions about weekend voting in your city or county, contact your local registrar. For information on the races in your area, check out the CBS 6 2023 Virginia Voter's Guide.
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