Pre-Filled Mail Ballot Application OK To Use In Arlington

ARLINGTON, VA—This week, many voters received pre-filled mail ballot applications from the Center for Voter Information. Arlington County officials said this is an independent organization not affiliated with the Arlington County Office of Voter Registration & Elections.

According to county officials, the form is the correct Virginia vote by mail application for Arlington and can be used by voters to request a ballot for the Nov. 3 General Election.

Voters can fold the application and return it in the provided envelope. It will be delivered directly to the Arlington County Office of Voter Registration & Elections for processing, they said.

While county officials said there are reports of inaccurate information in other Virginia localities, the ones provided to Arlington voters appear correct. The Center for Voter Information uses publicly available data sources. The Center for Voter Information recently issued a statement regarding some of the confusion:

The Center for Voter Information recently sent vote-by-mail applications to voters in Virginia, encouraging them to safely participate in democracy. We are aware that some of the mailers may have directed the return envelopes to the wrong election offices. The issue affects the following locations: Fairfax City and Fairfax County, Franklin City and Franklin County, Richmond City and Richmond County, and Roanoke City and Roanoke County.

Approximately half a million applications sent to eligible voters in Virginia included incorrect information, and we are working diligently to address the issues. Mistakes in our programming are very rare, but we take them seriously, and our methods overall are extraordinarily effective. In fact, we have worked with our partner, the Voter Participation Center, to successfully generate nearly 900,000 vote-by-mail applications across the country, and helped more than 5 million people register to vote in our history.

We know that voters are on high alert as the November election approaches, and we regret adding to any confusion. Please rest assured that we are working with local election officials in Virginia to re-direct the vote-by-mail applications to the proper locations, and will rectify any errors at our own expense.

Jonathan Shapiro, President and CEO of Smith-Edwards-Dunlap Company, the printing vendors for the Center for Voter Information, also issued a statement in reference to the errors. That statement can be found at this link.

Voters are encouraged to check their voter registration record online at vote.elections.virginia.gov. Voters who have submitted a request for a mail ballot in November do not need to submit another request. Ballots will be sent the week of Sept. 18.

Go to vote.arlingtonva.us to learn more about voting options for the November election.

If you have any questions, contact the Office of Voter Registration & Elections at voters@arlingtonva.us or by phone at 703-228-3456.

SEE ALSO:

• Inaccurate Mailing Sent To Fairfax County Voters