Voting officially kicks off Friday in the most competitive statewide election since Joe Biden became president.

This November’s race for Virginia governor isn’t only one of the earliest barometers of the political environment heading into the 2022 midterms. It will also be one of the first signs for how permanent Americans’ shift away from Election Day voting is, a trend accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Friday marks the kickoff of in-person early voting in Virginia, 45 days before the Nov. 2 faceoff between former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin. It's the first gubernatorial election in which both in-person early voting and no-excuse mail voting are available for all Virginians, after the Democratic-controlled state government passed a law last year scrapping a requirement that previously required voters have a valid excuse to do so.

The change has brought a jolt to the typical off-year election calendar, leading both campaigns to recalibrate their strategies for persuading swing voters and juicing turnout among their own supporters.

“The 45-day window has changed things dramatically,” said Rick Michael, the chair of the Chesterfield County Republican Committee. “It's new to the people in the registrar's office. It's new to the people who are in the political arena. It's new to the constituents and the voters throughout the commonwealth.”