In some ways, voting in Virginia will feel similar to years past. Unlike in D.C. and Maryland, which are consolidating polling places, Virginia will keep the same number of polling places on Election Day.

But changes made before the pandemic hit are offering voters more options: there’s no longer a requirement that you provide an excuse to vote absentee, and on Tuesday Gov. Ralph Northam (D) said close to 800,000 people requested absentee ballots, far more than the total absentee votes cast last presidential election. Virginia also offers 45 days of early voting, which is among the longest stretches in the nation.

We’ve compiled some of the most commonly asked questions on voting in Virginia below; see our guide for D.C. here and Maryland here.

What dates should I put on my calendar?

• Sept. 18: Early voting starts.
• Oct. 13: Deadline to register to vote.
• Oct. 23: Last day to request an absentee ballot.
• Oct. 31: Last day to vote early in person.
• Nov. 2: Last day to request an emergency absentee ballot.
• Nov. 3: Election Day!

What’s on the ballot?

Voters in Virginia will choose a U.S. president and vice president and one senator: incumbent Sen. Mark Warner (D) faces Republican challenger Daniel Gade. Also on the ballot are all 11 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Voters in the 29th House of Delegates District, which includes the City of Winchester and parts of surrounding counties, will fill a vacant seat. A full list of federal and General Assembly candidates is here.

Mayor, local council and school board candidates will also be on the ballot for some parts of Northern Virginia, including Arlington, Fairfax County, Falls Church, Prince William County, and the Town of Leesburg. A full list of local candidates can be found here.

In addition, voters will cast ballots on two amendments to the Virginia Constitution; one would establish a redistricting commission to draw voting districts, while the other would provide a tax exemption for vehicles owned by disabled veterans of the Armed Forces or National Guard.

How can I vote?

Virginia is offering 45 days of early, in-person voting. Voters can also vote by mail by requesting an absentee ballot, or they can cast their ballots on Election Day at their polling places. All voting methods require that voters be registered; Oct. 13 is the deadline to register to vote and update registration information.

Can I vote in person before Election Day?

Yes! Early voting starts in Virginia on Friday, Sept. 18 at the voter registration offices of each city, town or county. According to Christopher Piper, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Elections, localities will also add additional places to vote early ahead of Election Day. The last day to vote early is Oct. 31.

Previously, Virginia voters had to give a reason for voting early or by mail. However, a new law signed in April 2020 removed that requirement. Now, as long as a voter is registered, he or she can appear at the registrar’s office and ask to cast a ballot early.

Can I vote by mail?

Yes. You can request a ballot online at the Virginia Department of Elections. In Virginia, a voter has to ask for an absentee ballot and shouldn’t expect to just get one in the mail like in D.C. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 23 at 5 p.m., but Commissioner Piper advises moving faster than that.

“We anticipate an increase in the number of ballots that will be received by mail as well as voters who appear in person to vote early, so we’re just requesting that everybody make a plan to vote early, and that will ensure that we can handle the increase in ballots by mail,” he says.

Virginia will start mailing absentee ballots to voters on Sept. 18. Absentee ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 3. However, ballots that arrive by noon on Friday, Nov. 6 will still be counted. Postage is prepaid on absentee ballots in Virginia thanks to a recent vote by the General Assembly.

If you’d rather return the ballot yourself, you can bring your ballot to the office of your city or county’s voter registrar. Some cities and towns will also have secure drop boxes; ballots must be dropped off by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Voters should check their localities, but so far Arlington and Falls Church have announced drop box locations.

If you requested an absentee ballot but didn’t send it in, you will not be able to cast a regular ballot at your polling place. You can cast your absentee ballot on Election Day at your polling place or drop it at the voter registration office or at a drop box, Piper says. If you lose your absentee ballot, you can cast a provisional ballot at your polling place.

If you applied for an absentee ballot, you can track it here.

Virginia law requires absentee voters to obtain a signature from a witness; however, the State Board of Elections is waiving the requirement during the pandemic.

Lawmakers also recently voted to allow emergency absentee ballots to be delivered to voters who missed the vote-by-mail application deadline due to their own hospitalization or that of their spouse, child or parent. The deadline for emergency ballot applications is 2 p.m. on the day before Election Day.

If I want to vote on Election Day, what’s that going to be like?

To cast your ballot on Election Day in Virginia, you must find your polling place. Don’t expect it to be the same as last time, because some polling places changed to make it easier to keep social distance. Polling places are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. Anyone in line at 7:00 p.m. will be allowed to vote. Voters should wear masks.

Piper says elections officers received personal protective equipment, as well as gloves and hand sanitizer. He says the Virginia Department of Health partnered with his office to train poll workers on proper cleaning and disinfection of shared surfaces, and the Virginia Medical Reserve Corps will volunteer on Election Day to spray down surfaces and maintain social distancing so poll workers can focus on voting.

If you are disabled, feel ill, or do not want to wear a mask, there will be curbside voting available. Voters will pull up to a polling place and see a phone number to call; an election worker will come out to their car and give them their ballot.

A new law passed this year changed the voter ID requirements in Virginia. Voters should bring a valid photo ID. However, a current utility bill would also serve to identify a voter. If a voter has no ID, he or she can sign an affirmation statement and vote; lying on that statement carries a felony charge.

When do votes start getting counted?

Virginia localities can start processing ballots as they arrive. However, results will only be pooled and released on Election Night.

This year, Piper expects the count to take longer than usual because of high numbers of absentee ballots that may come in on or after Election Day, up to noon on Friday, Nov. 6. He says that may make it a challenge to predict the results on the same day as the election.

“I think we need to get used to election week, not election night,” he says.