Early voting surges in Richmond area with first Sunday voting in Virginia

Early voting is increasing across Virginia, with hundreds of thousands more ballots cast compared to the same point in the last midterm election, WTVR CBS 6 reported. This includes voters in Chesterfield County, where some experienced about a 20-minute wait to vote on Sunday, the first day Virginia offered Sunday early voting.

The new Sunday early voting option was established by legislation passed by the Virginia General Assembly this year. It requires early voting to be available for at least five hours between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the second and third Sundays before an election. The first Sunday voting day was October 18, followed by another on October 25, with early in-person voting ending October 31 ahead of Election Day on November 3.

According to the Virginia Public Access Project, more than 678,000 Virginians had already voted early by mid-October, nearly 300,000 more than at the same point in the 2022 midterm election. This increase reflects strong voter engagement in the Richmond area and statewide.

On the ballot, Virginia voters will consider three proposed amendments to the state constitution. One amendment concerns reproductive rights, proposing protections for decisions involving abortion and reproductive healthcare, including conditions for third trimester restrictions. Another amendment addresses marriage, proposing to remove the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and affirm equal treatment of all legally valid marriages regardless of sex, gender, or race.