AARP Virginia urges Attorney General to extend primary voting rules to November election

RICHMOND — AARP Virginia today asked Attorney General Mark Herring to waive the witness requirement for absentee ballots for the November 3 General Election, as he has done for the June 23 primaries. The official letter can be read here.

“No voter should have to endanger their own health, or the health of a potential witness, to cast an absentee ballot,” AARP Virginia State Director Jim Dau wrote in a letter to Herring. “However, the waiver of this requirement currently only applies to the June primaries, not to the general elections in November.”

Dau pointed out that older Virginians tend to be very active participants in federal, state, and local elections.

“Not only do they tend to vote in high numbers, many also volunteer to serve as poll workers on Election Day,” Dau wrote. “We can similarly expect significant turnout among older voters in the upcoming June federal primary election, as well as during the November general election.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that people over 65 years of age, and those with serious health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease, seem to be at highest risk for severe disease and even death from COVID-19 related illness. In addition, the CDC reports higher hospitalization rates for all persons of voting age (18+) with COVID-19, and much higher rates for persons age 50+ ranging from about three times greater for persons 50-64 than for persons 18-49, to over six times greater for persons 75+.

“With that in mind, it makes sense to do everything we can to encourage older voters, and indeed all voters, to vote by absentee ballot rather than stand in line at the polls for either of these upcoming elections,” Dau said.

With more than 1 million members in Virginia, AARP is the largest organization working on behalf of people age 50+ and their families in the Commonwealth.

To learn more about AARP Virginia, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/aarpvirginia and follow @AARPVa on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aarpva.

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AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 38 million members and offices in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP works to strengthen communities and advocate for what matters most to families with a focus on health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the nation's largest circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.