Virginia voters are heading to the polls well ahead of the November 4 general election, taking advantage of the Commonwealth’s 45-day early voting period — the second-longest such window in the nation.

Early voting is still taking place despite areas in Southwest Virginia hit hard by Helene.

Early Voting won the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore on Saturday, crossing the finish line first in the famed Triple Crown race.

Early Voting held off hard-charging favorite Epicenter to win the Preakness Stakes.

So if you’re feeling a little left in the dark, as in, you still don’t realize all your early voting options, we’re here to fill you in. When it comes to early, in-person voting ...Again, it’s up to the state when it comes to specifics, timelines and more. In federal elections in the U.S., this still isn’t permitted -- not on Election Day and not in early voting. Author’s note: A lot of the early voting places where I live have very specific hours. Let us know what questions you have about early voting, in the comments below.

As of Thursday, 1,076,266 Virginians have requested an absentee ballot, according to data acquired by the Associated Press. This means a total of 886,992 Virginians have already cast their ballot in the November election. As of Aug. 31, 2020, Virginia has 5,825,332 registered voters, meaning about 15% of Virginia’s registered voters have already voted in the upcoming election. In the 2016 presidential election, only 566,948 total Virginians voted absentee. Virginians can register to vote until Oct. 13, request a mail-in ballot by Oct. 23 and vote early in-person by Oct. 31.