Early voting kicks off on VIPR Friendship Day; what's open, closed for the holiday

Monday is Virgin Islands-Puerto Rico Friendship Day, a local holiday, as well as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, formerly Columbus Day, a federal holiday.

Although businesses across the territory including banks, courts, schools and post offices are closed in honor of the federal holiday, Elections offices on the islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix will be opened for the first day of early voting ahead of next month’s general election. Early voting on St. John will start on Monday, Oct. 21, according to a statement from the Elections System of the Virgin Islands.

Early voting will continue through Oct. 28 territorywide, and residents will be able to vote from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at polling stations on St. Thomas and St. Croix, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on St. John, the release stated. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. The polling stations that will allow early voting are Elections offices in Sunny Isle Shopping Center on St. Croix, Lockhart Gardens location on St. Thomas, and Market Place, Suite II, on St. John.