CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Voters turned out Sunday for the first day of Sunday early voting in Chesapeake, taking advantage of an additional opportunity to cast ballots ahead of Election Day.
Among them was 20-year-old Chesapeake voter Ariana Sommeso, who stopped by the Chesapeake Registrar's Office before heading back to college at Virginia Tech.
"I just finished voting," Sommeso said after casting her ballot. She described the process as "easy" and "smooth," saying voters checked in, showed identification and submitted their ballots.
For Sommeso, voting fit into a busy day. She had planned to leave for school earlier but decided to stop at the polls before making the roughly five-hour drive back to Blacksburg after being home for her birthday weekend.
"I've been registered to vote here since I turned 18, and I come here every time," she said.
Oct. 18 marked the first Sunday that Virginia voters could vote early in person for the Nov. 3 election. Early voting is available through Oct. 31. Additional satellite voting sites across Chesapeake are scheduled to open beginning Oct. 19, giving residents more options to cast their ballots before Election Day.
Sommeso said she noticed plenty of other voters despite chilly temperatures Sunday morning. She also said offering early voting on a weekend helps accommodate people whose work schedules may not allow them to make it to the polls on election day.
"It's the first Sunday that we've been able to vote, and I think it's awesome that we get to vote on Sundays because of the fact that there are so many people who don't actually get to vote on the day that voting is because jobs, whatever," Sommeso said. "And so now people get to vote and it's on a Sunday, so it kind of works out awesome."
Voters headed to the polls this year will help decide several races, including contests for Chesapeake City Council and Chesapeake School Board.
See previous coverage: First day of early voting: Chesapeake voters cite inflation, city growth, and Congress race
Many Hampton Roads voters will also weigh in on Virginia's 2nd Congressional District race, one of the most closely watched congressional contests in the country. The district includes Virginia Beach's oceanfront area, parts of Chesapeake and communities across Virginia's Eastern Shore.
While candidates and issues may differ from one election cycle to the next, Sommeso said her reason for voting remains consistent.
"My big thing is that it's my civic duty to vote," she said. "I find it important that every time there is some time to vote, I come down and I make sure I'm educated as well as I can be."
Her message to other young voters was simple:
"Go out and vote."
Residents can cast an early ballot at the Chesapeake Registrar's Office on Cedar Road through Oct. 31. Additional early voting locations at libraries and community centers across the city are set to open during the final weeks before Election Day.
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