                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

BALLOT TO BE RETURNED IN MANNER PRESCRIBED BY LAW (§ 24.2-709)

A. Any ballot returned to the office of the general registrar or to a drop-off
location in any manner except as prescribed by law shall be void. Absentee
ballots shall be returned to the general registrar or to a drop-off location
before the closing of the polls. Any voter who is in line to return an absentee
ballot at a drop-off location by 7:00 p.m. on the day of the election shall be
permitted to deposit his absentee ballot. The registrar receiving the ballot
shall (i) seal the ballot in an envelope with the statement or declaration of
the voter, or both, attached to the outside and (ii) mark on each envelope the
date, time, and manner of delivery. No returned absentee ballot shall be deemed
void because (a) the inner envelope containing the voted ballot is imperfectly
sealed so long as the outside envelope containing the ballot envelope is sealed
or (b) it is not returned sealed in the outside envelope so long as it is
returned sealed in the inner envelope.

B. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection A, any absentee ballot (i)
returned to the general registrar after the closing of the polls on election day
but before noon on the third day after the election and (ii) postmarked on or
before the date of the election shall be counted pursuant to the procedures set
forth in this chapter if the voter is found entitled to vote. For purposes of
this subsection, a postmark shall include any other official indicia of
confirmation of mailing by the United States Postal Service or other postal or
delivery service.

C. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection A, any absentee ballot (i)
received after the close of the polls on any election day, (ii) received before
5:00 p.m. on the second business day before the State Board meets to ascertain
the results of the election pursuant to this title, (iii) requested on or before
but not sent by the deadline for making absentee ballots available under &#xA7;
24.2-612, and (iv) cast by a covered voter, as defined in &#xA7; 24.2-452, shall
be counted pursuant to the procedures set forth in this chapter if the voter is
found entitled to vote. The electoral board shall prepare an amended certified
abstract, which shall include the results of such ballots, and shall deliver
such abstract to the State Board by the business day prior to its meeting
pursuant to this title, and shall deliver a copy of such abstract to the general
registrar to be available for inspection when his office is open for business.

D. Notwithstanding the provisions of clause (i) of subsection B of &#xA7;
24.2-427, an absentee ballot returned by a voter in compliance with &#xA7;
24.2-707 and this section who dies prior to the counting of absentee ballots on
election day shall be counted pursuant to the procedures set forth in this
chapter if the voter is found to have been entitled to vote at the time that he
returned the ballot.

HISTORY: Code 1950, § 24-328; 1956, c. 525; 1970, c. 462, § 24.1-230; 1971,
Ex. Sess., c. 119; 1975, c. 515; 1993, c. 641; 2002, cc. 785, 819; 2006, c. 297;
2010, cc. 449, 645; 2011, c. 654; 2012, c. 353; 2014, c. 580; 2015, cc. 644,
645; 2019, cc. 668, 669; 2020, cc. 288, 933, 1149, 1151, 1201; 2021, Sp. Sess.
I, cc. 471, 522.