Council elections are postponed to May 19

Town mayoral and council elections that were set for the first week of May have been pushed back to May 19.

Gov. Ralph Northam had urged the General Assembly, during its reconvened one-day session last week, to postpone the local elections to November — along with discarding numerous absentee ballots already cast.

Lawmakers rejected that idea. Friday, the governor exercised his statutory authority to delay the vote as long as he could, to May 19.

“This is the most challenging time in election administration that any of us have ever lived through,” Voter Registrars Association of Virginia President Allison Robbins said in the governor’s release.

Robbins, who is the Wise County registrar, added: “Registrars across Virginia are committed to ensuring that every election official feels protected while performing their duties on Election Day. Registrars are equally committed to ensuring the safety and security of all voters and ensuring that voters can cast their ballots with confidence that they will be counted.”

Municipal elections will take place in all Wise County towns except Big Stone Gap, which already holds November elections.

In Appalachia, the ballot will include town council seats now held by Mayor Teddie Collins, Bob Hartley and Susan Barnette, none of whom seek another term. Candidates include Eddie Gollaway, Johnny Lee Chandler, Sharon L. Hatfield, Chris A. Williams, Jackie L. Johnson, Gary W. Williams and Shawn E. Riley.

GUIDANCE

In press releases Monday, Robbins strongly urged voters to request and vote an absentee ballot by mail. “Any qualified voter may request an absentee ballot using Reason Code 2A (disability or illness) even if they suffer neither.”

To request an absentee ballot be sent by mail, you can apply online through vote.elections.virginia.gov, or you can contact Robbins’ office at 328-8331 or registrar@wisecounty.org.

When you are ready to vote, you can submit your ballot by email to the same address, or mail it to Office of Elections & Voter Registration, P.O. Box 309, Wise, Va. 24293.

The last day to request that an absentee ballot be mailed to you is May 12 by 5 p.m.

The last day to vote absentee in person is May 16 by 5 p.m.

The registrar’s office is staffed 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., but there is no public access at this time. In-person absentee voting will take place curbside at the Wise County Justice Center location at 5607 Patriot Drive in Wise. To do so, please call 328-8331 to make an appointment.

You can also find more information on the office’s Facebook page at Wise County Votes.

“Current recommendations of both federal and state officials to practice social distancing and to limit all gatherings to 10 or less individuals will create an unprecedented challenge at our polling locations on Election Day,” Robbins noted. “We expect the state to impose strict guidelines to ensure that all polling locations are adhering to these recommendations. Additionally, we will also be imposing strict sanitization and cleaning protocols to ensure that Election Day does not become a vehicle for the spread of COVID-19.”

As a result, Robbins explained, “we anticipate that voters who choose to wait till Election Day to vote will experience significant delays. Election Day voters should expect to be asked to wait outside or to wait in their car until a safe location is available inside the polling place. Additionally, voters will be required to maintain social distancing while inside the polling place by staying at least 6 feet away from all other voters and Officers of Election.”