VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Does the registrar have your ballot?
It’s a question many mail-in voters across Hampton Roads are asking on social media as election day nears. Some voters tell us they mailed their ballots weeks ago and still don’t have confirmation that their registrar’s office received their vote.
Cary Lomba said she was still anxiously awaiting confirmation that her ballot got to the Virginia Beach Registrar’s Office, weeks after mailing her ballot.
“We sent our ballots back probably September 18, 19, something like that,” she said. “I was checking every day because I was really concerned that it wouldn’t get here.”
Lomba used the Ballot Scout mail tracking tool. She said her ballot is stuck on the “in transit" stage.
“On Ballot Scout, it shows that the last time it was updated was September 23,” Lomba said.
The tool was created by the nonpartisan, nonprofit Democracy Works.
“It’s a web-based application that jurisdictions in Virginia are using to track ballots as they move through the mail,” said the nonprofit’s Director of Government Initiatives Jessenia Eliza.
Eliza said ballot movements are updated when the United States Postal Service scans the envelopes.
“Some folks are seeing the ballots are remaining in transit,” Eliza said. “That is probably because it just wasn’t scanned again by USPS, not necessarily that the ballot hasn’t traveled any further.”
If Ballot Scout still shows your ballot in transit, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t received. Staff at the Virginia Beach Registrar’s Office said try checking the Virginia Department of Elections website at vote.elections.virginia.gov/voterinformation.
From there click "check registration status" to find out if your vote is in.
“The scanning of the ballots that have been returned, it is a little bit slower,” said Virginia Beach Absentee Coordinator Laura Kane.
Kane said, right now, they are focused on mailing ballots to voters before the request deadline this Friday. But she assured us they’ll get to every ballot in time.
“Don’t worry, we are working to get those ballots scanned in,” Kane said. “Your vote will be counted. We are taking every measure.”
On Wednesday Lomba used the Virginia Elections website and found out her ballot was indeed received on September 24, just a few days after she mailed it in.
“Again, on Ballot Scout it still says it wasn’t received and the last time it was scanned was on the 23rd,” Lomba said.
She said the process was confusing.
“Go online and make sure your ballot is received,” Lomba said. “It is important to let your vote be heard.”
But she is at ease knowing her vote was counted.