Updates

Friday, May 15 ~ TOMORROW-Saturday 8-5-is the LAST day to Absentee vote @ Registrar’s Office!

The Registrar’s Office will be open on Monday, but NOT for Absentee Voting! If you do not want to go to the polls on this coming Tuesday, May 19, 2020, from 6:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., at the Salem Civic Center for ALL precincts, you may go to the Registrar’s Office, tomorrow, Saturday, May 16, from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. to vote absentee. They have it all organized and will take the necessary precautions. But DO exercise your right to vote! Every vote does count.

Wednesday, May 13 ~ Message from the Salem Registrar’s Office:

“There are 750 Absentee Ballots not yet turned in ~ Please VOTE and return your Absentee Ballots right away!”

No more Absentee Ballots will be mailed out, but if you did not request one, you may still vote on Tuesday, May 19, at the Salem Civic Center. All precincts will be located there for this City Council Election because of the COVID 19 virus. Please take the necessary precautions if you do go to vote on Tuesday. And I ask for your vote!

If you lost your Absentee Ballot, call the Registrar’s Office for guidance: 540-375-3034. They are already booked through Friday with appointments, but to vote in person you must call their office first at 375-3034, M-F between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and schedule the time you are coming to their office to vote before Tuesday, May 19. 

Tuesday, May 12 ~  MESSAGE  FROM OUR SALEM REGISTRAR:

“All precincts will be voting at the Salem Civic Center next Tuesday, May 19, 2020, 6:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., for the Salem City Council Elections.” Hopefully, you applied before 5:00 p.m. for your Absentee Ballot. Also from the Salem Registrar:

“Please VOTE YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT ASAP, mail it or STAMP IT and (taking the necessary precautions) TAKE IT TO A SALEM POST OFFICE WINDOW WORKER and ASK THEM TO PUT IT IN THE REGISTRAR’S PO BOX 203.”  They will process it locally if you stamp it and do that. 

Don’t wait to go to the polls on May 19—vote easily, safely, from your home.  The Registrar’s Office has asked me to pass the word to everyone—PLEASE, GET YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOTS BACK IN RIGHT AWAY! You CANNOT carry your Absentee Ballot to the polls at the Salem Civic Center on Tuesday, May 19 to turn in! You may mail it in, or take it to the Salem Post Office as described above.

If you have not applied for your ABSENTEE ballot–online is fastest—do so BEFORE Tuesday, May 12. The link is given below. Make sure you mark as your reason “illness or disability”  which is half-way down the online list and have your drivers license ready.

https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation

Friday, April 24: Election Update

Today the Governor pushed all local elections back 2 weeks from the original date of May 5, so the Salem City Council Elections will now be Tuesday, May 19.  The new deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is now Tuesday, May 12.  

Even with a “later” date, I firmly believe that people should still vote ABSENTEE from the safety of their home.  Remember that you have to APPLY for absentee ballot first, then get mailed the ballot–the ballot goes from Salem Registrar’s Office to Greensboro then back here to you, then you mail it back in–allow enough time for the travel to Greensboro and back .

https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation

APPLY TODAY!!!

April 23: In regard to our Salem City Council Election in May, below is the current situation as a result of the Veto Override Session of the General Assembly yesterday.

I STILL ENCOURAGE SALEM REGISTERED VOTERS TO VOTE ABSENTEE–apply online ASAP for a ballot to be mailed to you:

https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation

There can still be other decisions made, as you will see below in sentences posted from the article:

by: Brett Hall Posted: Apr 23, 2020 / 12:02 AM EDT / Updated: Apr 23, 2020 / 12:11 AM EDT

RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) — May 5 will still be Election Day for voters living in more than a hundred localities in Virginia, for now.

Late Wednesday night, the Virginia Senate chose to ultimately not vote on Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam’s proposal to move the date of those elections to November.

However, Northam hinted the legislative branch may not get the final word.

“I will review the General Assembly’s actions on scheduling local elections and announce next steps soon,” Northam said in a news release.

Northam originally proposed moving the election date to “protect democracy without endangering public health” during the COVID-19 pandemic…

…The Virginia House of Delegates narrowly approved the plan Wednesday by a 47-45 vote. However, that was on the third try.

The Virginia Municipal League, which represents local government interest, pushed back against Northam’s plan from the get-go saying “voters across Virginia submitted their choices (absentee) for local leadership in good faith that their voices would be heard.”

The state Department of Elections is encouraging people to vote absentee by selecting a special box.

PTA COUNCIL FORUM QUESTIONS

In order to see all of the candidates’ responses to the PTA Council questions sent out to Salem City Council candidates, use this link:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yurpTE_nvaC7Id31mbKVv6miuuoJ23mT  

YES, YOU SHOULD STILL VOTE ABSENTEE!

Even with the Governor’s suggestion, the Salem Registrar’s Office is STILL encouraging ABSENTEE VOTING. Apply online for a ballot to be mailed to you ASAP:

  https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation

Or call and request an ABSENTEE BALLOT TODAY! The Salem Registrar’s Office CORRECT phone number is:  540-375-3034; it was incorrect on the postcard mailer.

I am encouraging everyone, regardless of age or health condition, to apply for an Absentee Ballot to be mailed to you so that you may VOTE FROM THE SAFETY OF YOUR HOME for the upcoming Salem City Council election. In addition, please help your neighbors, other family members and friends by phone or from a distance, to work through the process of requesting their own ballot ASAP.

Copy the following link to apply online for an absentee ballot to be sent to you:

https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation

Remember that it is a two-step process: you APPLY 1st for an ABSENTEE ballot BEFORE APRIL 28–the fastest way is online with the above link. Your application is processed, you are then MAILED the ABSENTEE ballot with directions on how to vote, and then you MAIL the signed ballot back in. The “ballot travel time” involved (since our mail goes to Greensboro, NC, and back) could be as much as 2-weeks and that is why you need to apply TODAY if you want your vote to count for the May 5th Salem City Council election.

ELECTION  INFORMATION

If someone can’t apply online and needs a paper application, please call the Salem Registrar’s Office (540-375-3034), or feel free to email me at turkforcouncil@gmail.com for copies of the application with section #3 already filled in properly by the Regustrar’s Office.

STAY SAFE!

Follow My Updates

Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.