The deadline for local candidates to qualify for the November election is the same day as the June primary election—Tuesday, June 17—and voter registrars in Gloucester and Mathews are asking that prospective candidates get their qualifying paperwork in as soon as possible.
“Candidates need to not wait until June,” said Gloucester director of elections and general registrar Bobbi Morgan. “If you know you’re running, there’s no reason to wait. Come see us now to get qualified.”
The election office is running the June primary election at the same time that it’s qualifying candidates for the November general election, said Morgan, and Gloucester staff members often have to stay after hours to get all the work done. If a candidate waits until the last minute to turn in their paperwork and something isn’t right, she said, they might not have time to get it corrected and thus stand a chance of not getting on the ballot at all. A bonus for filing early is that the candidates’ names are listed ...