Robert Freis
Craig County, like other Virginia localities, will hold a ‘Super Tuesday’ dual presidential primary elections on March 5. All precincts and polling places in Craig County will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on that day.
Virginia conducts open party primaries and does not register voters by party affiliation, which means that every qualified voter is entitled to participate in the single party primary of their choosing.
In a dual party primary, all Virginia voters are eligible to participate in either the Democratic Party primary or the Republican Party primary but may only vote in one or the other. As a result, all voters are required by law to indicate to an Officer of Election present at the polling place whether they would prefer to mark a Democratic ballot or a Republican ballot.
Candidates on the Democratic Party ballot are Marianne Williamson, incumbent Joseph Biden, and Dean Benson Phillips.
Candidates on the Republican Party ballot are Chris Christie, Ryan Binkley, Vivek Ramaswamy, former president Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley.
Early voting for the March 5 presidential primary elections began Jan. 19 at the Craig County Voter Registration Office located at 155 Main Street in New Castle, next door to the county health department office.
The last day to vote early is March 2. Virginia law requires all voters to present an acceptable form of registration when voting early or when voting at a precinct.
Joanna Ryan, Craig County’s voter registrar, said her office will also be open for early voting on Saturday, Feb. 24 and Saturday, March 2 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will not be open on Saturday, Feb. 19.
If you have questions concerning local elections, you wish to register to vote, or would like to serve your community on election day, please call Ryan at: (540) 864-6190 or email: vote@craigcountyva.gov
The deadline to register to vote or to update your address on your existing voter registration for the March 5 primary is Monday, Feb. 12.
Any citizen needing to register to vote or update their address may do so by appearing in person at the county voter registration office, mailing a completed application to PO Box 8, New Castle, VA 24127, or by using the citizen portal at https.//vote.electons.virginia.gov/voterinformation
If you are not a registered voter, you have until Feb. 23 to do so in order to participate in the March 5 primary.
You can register online, in person at the registrar’s office or through the mail. A Virginia Voter Registration Application can be found online at https://www.elections.virginia.gov/registration/voter-forms/
Deadline to apply for a ballot to be mailed to you is Feb. 23 at 5 p.m.
In order to be qualified to register to vote, you must:
- Be a citizen of the United States
- Be a resident of Virginia
- Be at least 18 years of age by the next general election
- Not be a convicted felon or have had your voting rights restored
- Not have been declared mentally incapacitated or have had your disabilities removed
“We’re always looking for people to work on Election Day,” Ryan said about volunteer poll workers. Contact her at the county registrar’s office if you are interested and available.
