VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — With one week to go until Election Day, voters streamed into the Virginia Beach Registrar’s Office Tuesday to cast their ballots early.
Some voters said they wanted to avoid the Election Day crowds, while others said voting early gave them peace of mind knowing they had already participated.
“I can either get it done now or wait for the crowd to get here,” one voter said.
Another said they wanted to get voting “out of the way,” adding that they have voted in every election since turning 18.
Across Virginia, about 1.2 million people have voted early so far, according to the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project. That’s up from just under 1 million during the entire early-voting period in 2022.
Voters in Virginia Beach told News 3 they were considering a wide range of issues when casting their ballots, including the economy, health care, public safety, school policies and three proposed constitutional amendments.
The election also features several closely watched congressional races in the region.
In Virginia’s 1st Congressional District, Republican Rob Wittman faces Democrat Shannon Taylor. In Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, Republican Jen Kiggans faces Democrat Elaine Luria.
Across the state line, North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District features Republican Laurie Buckhout against Democrat Don Davis.
Veteran political observer Dr. Bob Holsworth said polling and early-voting numbers suggest Republicans may face a turnout challenge.
“I think for the Republicans right now it is really a question of turnout perhaps more than anything else,” Holsworth said. “What we’ve seen in most of the polls is that if you looked at the enthusiasm gap in this contest and in many contests across the country, you’re seeing that Democratic enthusiasm is higher than Republican enthusiasm.”
Holsworth also noted the party controlling the White House traditionally faces a difficult political environment during midterm elections. He said national issues can have an especially strong influence on Virginia races.
“I just think the national issues, particularly the president’s approval rating, tends to be very, very important here because our races get nationalized very, very easily because we’re right next door,” Holsworth said.
The final day to vote early in person in Virginia and North Carolina is Saturday, Oct. 31. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
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