THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 8, 1994 TAG: 9410080321
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBERT LITTLE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
So you think Chuck's scum? Or that Ollie's a bum? Or maybe Marshall makes you numb?
Well, if you're planning to vent your civic conscience at the polls, you better act fast. Only three days remain to register to vote in Virginia and take part in this year's political imbroglio.
Voter registration offices throughout the state will be open today, prepared for that procrastinating segment of the electorate that has yet to sign up for the Nov. 8 showdown. Tuesday at 5 p.m. is the deadline to register for the general election, which includes tallies for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and a smattering of local initiatives.
If you've voted in the last four years and haven't moved since November, your registration is probably still current, said Ann Washington, Registrar of Voters in Norfolk.
But every year, would-be voters are sent home on election day - their names stricken from the rolls, their electoral leanings still kept to themselves.
``If you don't know whether you're registered, check,'' Washington recommended. ``Address changes are usually the biggest problem. And Election Day is too late.''
You don't have to tromp down to City Hall, either; most cities have numerous satellite registration offices. (Norfolk has 28, for instance.) The Registrar of Voters' office can tell you where to go.
And you can register in any city in Virginia, not just where you live. When it comes time to vote, however, you have to be close to home.
``It really is easy,'' Washington said.
Applications for absentee ballots are available until Nov. 5, two days earlier if you want one by mail. They must be returned by 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted, and registrar's offices statewide will be open both Saturdays before Election Day to accept them.
By the way, felons, aliens and the mentally incompetent need not apply. ILLUSTRATION: VOTER OFFICES
Here are the numbers of local Registrar of Voters offices.
Chesapeake: 547-6141
Norfolk: 441-2528
Portsmouth: 393-8644
Suffolk: 925-6391
Virginia Beach: 427-8683
KEYWORDS: VOTER REGISTRATION by CNB