THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 4, 1996 TAG: 9610030185
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By Doug Beizer, Correspondent
LENGTH: 81 lines
For those who want to vote in November's presidential election, the registration deadline is 5 p.m. Monday.
And with the help of the Virginia Beach Registrar's Office, anyone should be able to find a method of getting signed up. Besides its in-person registration drives at libraries and shopping centers, the Registrar's Office has set up locations to pick up mail-in voter registration forms.
``There is really a place to register or to pick up a registration form probably within walking distance of every citizen in Virginia Beach,'' said Marlene Hager, the city's voter registrar. ``Even down in the Pungo area, we've got forms at the Pungo library and Ansell's grocery store and the post office down there.''
Hager warned that people who choose the mail-in method should act quickly to beat Monday's deadline. Registration must be postmarked no later than Oct. 7 and must be received by Oct. 12.
Since March, about 22,000 Virginia Beach residents have registered to vote, Hager said.
``We're probably up now more toward 23,500 in the last week or so,'' she said Tuesday. ``I'm sure we've gotten about 1,000 over the last couple of days. We're expecting about 6,000 to 8,000 people to register on the final day alone.''
Hager said about 8,600 people registered to vote on the last day four years ago.
So far, the trends in how Virginia Beach residents choose to register are mirroring state patterns. Through August, 77,640 people registered to vote at the Department of Motor Vehicles statewide. Mail-in registration totaled 95,915. And in-person registration totaled 73,028.
``Third-party registration has also done well,'' Hager said. ``That is where individual groups take cards out and register people and then return the cards to us. We've had African-American groups, church groups, women's groups and others that come in to pick up forms to do drives either with their groups or to go out in the neighborhoods and register other folks.''
Hager said those forms are treated like mail-in registration forms.
Even Virginia Beach's high schools are involved with voter registration. Schools have received sample ballots, voter registration information and each school has at least two people deputized to accept voter registration forms.
And for those who are registered but will be out of town on election day, the Registrar's Office has taken care of that as well.
``We're starting a new service the last two Saturdays before the election,'' Hager said. ``We're going to be opening up sites around the city for people to do absentee balloting in person.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
IN PERSON
Saturday:
Wal-Mart, 657 Phoenix Drive - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Kmart, 1205 Fordham Drive at Kemps River Crossing - noon to 4
p.m.
Kmart, 1650 General Booth Blvd. - noon to 4 p.m.
Farmer Jack, 649 Newtown Road - noon to 4 p.m.
Lynnhaven Mall - noon to 4 p.m.
Pembroke Mall - noon to 4 p.m.
Central Library, 4100 Virginia Beach Blvd. - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday:
Wal-Mart, 657 Phoenix Drive - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Central Library, 4100 Virginia Beach Blvd. - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Kmart, 1650 General Booth Blvd. - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Farmer Jack, 649 Newtown Road - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Others:
All Virginia Beach Public Schools - 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday
through Friday
Bayside, Great Neck, Kempsville, Oceanfront, Pungo/Blackwater and
Windsor Woods area libraries - during regular library hours
BY MAIL
Forms can be picked up at any of these locations:
U.S. Post Offices
Virginia Beach recreation centers
City Treasurer's offices
Commissioner of Revenue's office
Central Library
Tidewater Community College (Virginia Beach Campus) by CNB