I am the voter registrar for York County. The information below is true about every county and city in Virginia.

•In-Person Voting before Election Day
First, some voters seem to be unaware that they can vote in person before Election Day. Registrar's Offices in Virginia will start in-person voting on Friday, September 18.

Any Virginia voter can show up at his or her Registrar's Office or Vote Center and vote early. You will be checked in at a pollbook just like you are on Election Day. You will then cast your ballot just like on Election Day. We will then give you an "I Voted" sticker.

•Voting Absentee by Mail
I have been asked if voting by mail is safe, and whether it works.

Voting by mail is safe, and it works. If you request a ballot by mail, you will be mailed a ballot along with the envelopes to return it. You will also receive instructions on how to complete the envelopes and vote the ballot so that your vote will count.

If you are concerned about returning your ballot through the mail, you can return your ballot in person to the Registrar's Office for the county or city where you live.

At this time, you can return only your own ballot, or else you can use the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial delivery service such as FedEx or UPS to return your ballot.

If you are going to vote by mail, request your ballot as early as possible. You can request a ballot at https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation.

Vote it once you are ready to do so, and then return it to us as early as possible. The Postal Service works very diligently, but it is important you give your ballot as much time as possible to be returned to our office.

Your ballot must be returned to our office in person by 7 p.m. on Election Night, November 3, or else it must have been postmarked by Election Day, November 3, and received in our office by noon on Friday, November 6.