News Room

Security in Mail Voting featuring Natalie Scala.

Election Day is quickly approaching, just 11 days away. There’s a crucial deadline Friday for Virginia residents planning to vote by mail. October 23 is the deadline to request a mail-in ballot. Your request must be received by the registrar by 5 p.m. This election you do not need a reason to vote absentee or by mail. Once you get your ballot, you can return it by mailing it, emailing it or faxing it to your registrar. The deadline to request an absentee ballot in-person is 5 p.m. Saturday, October 31.

The Presidential Election on Nov. 3 will occur during a global outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. Election officials are scrambling to prepare an election that is safe for voters and poll workers in addition to being effective, equitable and accessible. One of the greatest challenges currently facing officials is that many polling locations used for elections are in cramped building spaces that are not equipped for social distancing, possibly leading to a reduced number of voting booths and long voter waiting times.

Five years ago, a team of researchers challenged the conventional wisdom that the fastest-moving line is a single “pooled” line. Instead, the researchers found, splitting the pool into individual lines made them move faster. Now new research from a member of the same team explores why this is so—and where multiple lines or single lines make the most sense.

Every Monday this fall, we’re taking a look at how schools are using technology during the pandemic. And for some, it’s an opportunity to make changes to teaching that have been in the works for a long time. Specifically, personalized learning — the idea that kids all learn at different paces and in different ways, and that curriculums can be tailored to a child’s learning style using artificial intelligence to monitor their progress and modify lessons on the fly.