10% of Virginia’s electorate have already voted

About 10 percent of the Virginia electorate already has voted, State Board of Elections officials said today.

That should ease the lines on Election Day tomorrow, but voters should still expect to wait in line to vote, Nancy Rodriques, secretary of the state Board of Elections, said this morning.

“Bring your patience with you, bring your sense of humor and know that democracy takes time,“ she said.

Virginia has about 5 million registered voters. As of today, 538,130 absentee ballot applications have been approved and 465,962 ballots have been cast, she said.

Also, Rodriques said State Police have identified the person who started a false rumor in the Hampton Roads area that Republicans should vote on Nov. 4 and Democrats on Nov. 5. The person started the rumor as a practical joke and the rumor spread over the Internet, she said.

She did not know whether that person will be prosecuted.