On Monday, September 22nd, I was delighted to become the first person in Fredericksburg to vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden for President and Vice-President of the United States of America, Mark Warnerfor Member of the United States Senate for Virginia, and Bill S. Day, Jr. for Member of the House of Representatives for the 1st District of Virginia.
The process itself took less than 15 minutes. After requesting the ability to vote via absentee ballot, I was asked to provide identification and to fill out an Absentee Ballot Application. Once the registrar had reviewed the documentation, and checked it versus the voter rolls, I was directed to an area where two temporary polling stations had been setup. I was then given the white ballot pictured below along with an envelope. After filling in the appropriate boxes I put the ballot into the envelope and was directed to put it into a labeled container. When I inquired how many other people had voted I was told that I was the first to vote!!!
Fredericksburg is fortunate to have Juanita D. Pitchford as our Voter Registrar/General Registrar. She and her staff can be found in Room 101 of City Hall at 715 Princess Anne Street. Click this link for the Virginia State Board of Elections website with more information on absentee voting.
Follow this link for the official Obama Vote for Change websitefilled with information about how to vote early in your state, fill out a request to vote absentee or if it is still possible for you to register to vote (registration has closed in Virginia).