VIRGINIA, USA — The last day of early voting in Virginia brought lines of voters in areas like Alexandria on Saturday as the race for governor remained a dead heat in the polls.
Outside the Beatley Library off Duke Street in Alexandria, a line of dozens of people stretched around the corner around lunchtime.
In total, Alexandria Registrar Angela Turner said that over 15,000 people had cast early ballots as of Saturday morning.
That number was almost four times higher than the amount of early voters during the last Virginia gubernatorial race in 2017, although early voters were required to provide an excuse for doing so back then. Last year, the rule was changed to allow for no-excuse absentee and early voting.
In Fairfax County, election officials reported that over 150,000 people had voted early this year, which equated to around 20% turnout in the area.
By late Saturday afternoon, a similar turnout percentage was reported in Loudoun County after over 30,000 residents had voted early.
Many polls show a dead heat between Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe and Republican challenger Glenn Youngkin in the race for Virginia governor.
On Saturday, supporters from both campaigns held events across Northern Virginia.
In Alexandria, Youngkin spoke to voters and said the country was watching the race.
Resident Penny Nance attended the rally and said education was one of the top issues on her mind this election season.
"Virginia parents are furious about what they’ve seen in the local school system," she told WUSA 9. "I expect (Youngkin) to hold Virginia schools accountable. I expect him to keep taxes low.”
Also in Alexandria, Terry McAuliffe supporters held a car parade off Richmond Highway while waving signs and listening to speeches from leaders like Dolores Huerta.
Carla Bustillos helped organize the event and said Saturday provided a last push to show support for their candidate and get people out to vote.
"The outcomes of the election will only be sealed by that high level of participation," she said. "To safeguard democracy, you need to participate and give yourself enough time.”
With the conclusion of early voting, Virginia residents can vote in person on Election Day by visiting a polling site between 6 am and 7 pm this upcoming Tuesday.