Update: The voter registration site is now working, the Virginia Department of Elections announced on Twitter.
Update: As of early Tuesday afternoon, the voter registration site is still down due to a cable severed by a Verizon roadside crew. As a result, several advocacy groups and officials such as Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax have called for the registration deadline to be extended.
The online Virginia voter registration system has crashed. Today is the last day to register to vote in the state.
WE JUST HEARD THAT THE VIRGINIA VOTING SYSTEM HAS CRASHED. YES, IT IS THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE! IF YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO NEEDS TO REGISTER GIVE THEM THE OUR EMAIL LWVARLINGTONVA@GMAIL.COM
MUST DO SO NO LATER THAN 4P WE NEED TO WALK PAPER REGISTRATIONS TO THE REGISTRAR BY 5P— LWV ArlingtonVA (@LWVArlingtonVA) October 13, 2020
The Virginia Department of Elections confirmed the crash via Twitter and attributed it to a cut fiber. Technicians are currently working to repair it, the group says, and will update the public on the progress.
This morning we were alerted by VITA that a fiber cut near the Commonwealth Enterprise Solutions Center was impacting data circuits and VPN connectivity for multiple agencies. This has affected the citizen portal along w/ registrar’s offices.
— VA Dept of Elections (@vaELECT) October 13, 2020
Talk about awful timing. We've gotten confirmation that Virginia's voter registration system is down, so online registration isn't currently available — and today is the deadline to register. You can register in person at your registrar's office, or mail an application in today. https://t.co/voUUd1HQ7X
— Martin Austermuhle (@maustermuhle) October 13, 2020
While the Citizen’s Portal for online registration is down, Virginia voters can still register in-person at early voting sites or via a mailed application postmarked by today.
Mimi Montgomery joined Washingtonian in 2018. She’s written for The Washington Post, Garden & Gun, Outside Magazine, Washington City Paper, DCist, and PoPVille. Originally from North Carolina, she now lives in Del Ray.
