LYNCHBURG, Va. – Absentee voting continues to grow in popularity as people opt-out of voting in-person because of the coronavirus.
In Lynchburg, more than 700 people requested absentee ballots for Tuesday’s primary election.
City Registrar Christine Gibbons said there have also been nearly as many requests for the November election and she expects that number to increase.
The registrar’s office is working to hire people to help process the ballots.
“When we have a higher number of absentee requests, it does make more work for our office,” Gibbons explained. “We do process those by hand in our office as they leave our office and when they come back.”
On Tuesday, there were still those who voted in-person.
“I believe it’s my responsibility as a United States citizen (to come out and vote), so I’m honored to do that,“ said Cheryl Weider.
“There’s a lot on the line, regardless of which side of the aisle you’re on,” said Michael Gearhart. “It’s an existential election.”
The registrar’s office is encouraging people to vote absentee to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
If you are interested in helping the office during the November election, contact the office at 434-477-5999.