Twice as many Virginia voters cast absentee ballots compared to the March 2016 Democratic primary.

Analysis by VPAP shows that as of Monday, nearly 55,000 voters had cast absentee ballots, compared to a total of 26,000 in March 2016.

Roughly 70% of those votes were cast by people over the age of 41, according to VPAP.

Virginia’s primary kicked off Tuesday without significant issues at polling places, state elections officials said. Roanoke County and the city of Petersburg experienced power outages Tuesday, but “no voting was delayed as a result,” Virginia Elections Commissioner Chris Piper said.

“I’ve worked in Virginia elections on and off since 2003, but I will say, in all of those years, I have not experienced a more smooth election,” Piper added. “This is a real credit to the election officials out there in the field.”

Piper said that despite rumors of massive absences among poll workers due to COVID-19 concerns, the state did not receive messages from localities about shortages.

Piper said his agency encouraged localities to consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for information on the coronavirus outbreak, but that otherwise, there were “no major changes” to the process.

“We always encourage localities to take precautionary measures in terms of hygiene,” Piper said, like keeping hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes at the ready.

mleonor@timesdispatch.com (804) 649-6254 Twitter: @MelLeonor_ Staff writers Michael Martz and Karri Peifer contributed to this report.