In Virginia, Fairfax County's Elections Office is urging residents...who haven't received their voter registration card... to call and verify they are in the system.

Jessica Forres reports...

Boomp3.com'>LISTEN TO THE STORY THAT AIRED ON WAMU RADIO

Vickie Hull is with the Office of Elections. She is registering residents to vote.

GO AHEAD AND FILL IT OUT WITH SOCIAL SECURITY, ADDRESS

Once the application is completed, she stuffs it into an envelope.

AS THE ENVELOPES GET FULL WE TAKE THEM UP TO THE REGISTRAR'S OFFICE AND AS THEY'RE RECEIVED THEY GET PROCESSED.

The Registrar's office is two stories up from where Hull is registering voters. That's where the General Regisrar..Rokey Suleman's office is.

He says about 70,000 voters registered in the County this year...more than half of those are new voters.

IT'S THE MOST WE'VE BASICALLY SEEN IN FAIRFAX COUNTY.

With thousands of applications to process, it can be poblematic.

WE HAVE HAD SOME PEOPLE WHO CLAIM THEY'VE REGISTERED TO VOTE AT CERTAIN PLACES AND WE DON'T HAVE THEIR REGISTRATION IN THE SYSTEM YET. THAT'S NOT TO SAY IT'S NOT HERE.

He urges people who haven't received their voter registration card in the mail to call the elections office.

IF YOU'RE NOT SURE AND YOU'RE NOT IN THE SYSTEM, BETTER TO REGISTER TWICE THAN HOPE THAT YOU'RE IN THE STACK AND FIND OUT THAT YOU'RE NOT.

Today is the voter registration deadline for residents in Virginia and the District.

Jessica Forres WAMU 885 News

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In Virginia, Fairfax County's Office of Elections has been scrambling to register voters before the deadline.

Jessica Forres talked to residents as they registered to vote on Saturday.

Boomp3.com'>LISTEN TO THE STORY THAT AIRED ON WAMU RADIO

[ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? YES]

In Fairfax County, procrastination is not the only reason why more than a hundred residents waited just two days before the deadline to register to vote.

Marvin Cabrera says he didn't have a choice.

I JUST BECAME A CITIZEN TWO DAYS AGO.

And Karen Griner

WE ACTUALLY MOVED FAIRLY RECENTLY AND JUST CHANGED OUR DMV.

On Satruday, Fairfax County's Elections Office extended its hours to give residents like Cabrera and Griner more time to register. Rokey Suleman is the General Registrar.

PEOPLE HAVE BUSY LIVES AND FAIRFAX COUNTY IS A VERY POPULOUS PLACE AND SOMETIMES IT'S TOUGH TO GET AROUND SO WE WANTED TO EXTEND OUR HOURS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

The deadline for voter registration in Virginia and the District is today. In Maryland, the dealine is October 14th.

Jessica Forres WAMU