VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — City officials are advising residents in certain districts to shred mail-in ballots that were mailed to them on Wednesday due to an error.

Incorrect ballots were mailed to approximately 7,400 homes on Wednesday, according to the city.

Candidates for City Council in Districts 3 and 7, as well as School Board candidates in District 4, were printed in the wrong order on the mail-in ballots, also known as absentee ballots.

The Voter Registrar’s Office first heard about the issue late Wednesday night. Candidates and residents were notified on Thursday.

Roughly 26,000 mail-in ballots were sent this week including the 7,400 that were incorrect, said city spokesperson Ali Weatherton.

The city’s vendor is reprinting corrected ballots for those specific districts, and affected voters will receive a letter explaining the error.

The vendor is reprinting ballots for City Council Districts 3 and 7 and School Board District 4. They will be mailed out Saturday.

In-person early voting, which begins Friday, is not impacted, according to the city.

Residents who receive the incorrect ballot are being told to shred it or return the ballot to the office unmarked. If a resident sends the wrong ballot back, it will be hand-counted, according to the city.

Virginia has specific policies that must be followed regarding the order of candidates listed on the ballot. The list order is determined by the time that the candidate files to run for the seat.

The Voter Registrar’s Office and Department of Elections proof the ballots before distribution, according to the city.

_______

©2024 The Virginian-Pilot. Visit at pilotonline.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.