Gov. Glenn Youngkin is going all in on early voting in his quest to help Republicans win total control of the state government.

Why it matters: It's a stark break from the Trump-fueled suspicion of the practice that has permeated the party.

• In Virginia, GOP politicians have routinely sought to roll back early voting measures, while the party's voters have largely stuck to in-person voting.

What's happening: Youngkin's PAC, Spirit of Virginia, rolled out the major get-out-the-vote push on Tuesday in partnership with the state party and House and Senate GOP caucuses.

• The campaign, dubbed "Secure Your Vote," recasts early voting not as a source of alleged fraud but as the key to Republican victory.

Details: In a press release announcing the initiative, Youngkin's PAC said the program will use voter data to target Republicans with messages encouraging them to vote early, both in person and by mail.

• The program is anchored by a website, SecureYourVoteVirginia.com, that walks voters through the various options for early voting, including encouraging voters to join the state's permanent absentee list.

What they're saying: "Republicans have got to stop sitting on the sidelines and allowing the Democrats to do a better job of voting early," Youngkin said during an appearance on Fox News.

• "I'm tired of us going into [Election Day] down thousands of votes. … It's time for us to stand up and make sure our votes are counted."

Flashback: Former President Trump blasted absentee voting with baseless fraud claims through his final days in office.

• And as recently as this year, lawmakers in the GOP-controlled House of Delegates passed legislation to limit in-person absentee voting until two weeks before the election and ban localities from accepting ballots in drop boxes.

The other side: Democrats issued a press release blasting the apparent change of heart, which House Minority Leader Don Scott called "blatant hypocrisy."

Worth noting: Youngkin's PAC declined to comment on how many people signed up for absentee ballots through the initiative so far.

The big picture: During a meeting with reporters Tuesday, Youngkin's PAC said it anticipates spending "seven figures" on the initiative as part of a data-focused campaign that will draw on AI tools, machine learning and a small army of paid canvassers.

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The city wants drivers to stop giving money to panhandlers at busy intersections, according to new signs that recently went up across town.

Why it matters: Panhandling, soliciting and begging are considered protected free speech under the First Amendment, the Supreme Court found in 2015.

Yes, but: The new signs don't ban panhandling. They politely ask would-be cash-givers not to give money to people asking for it. They even say "please."

• Since the signs are "asking for voluntarily compliance from drivers," they're legal, ACLU of Virginia tells Axios.
• "It's a safety issue: It's dangerous for them and it's dangerous for the driver," city spokesperson Petula Burks tells Axios.

Zoom in: In all, about 23 signs went up in the last two weeks at intersections where panhandlers frequent and/or there is a lot of vehicle traffic, Burks says.

• "It's a known best practice — you'll see [signs like these] in other major cities," she adds.

Zoom out: Henrico has had similar signs since 2017, and some jurisdictions in Hampton Roads are considering adding them.

Worth noting: Multiple COVID-era benefits expired in recent months, including enhanced food stamps, which ended in March and meant around 1 million Virginians lost around $95 a month.

Meanwhile, Richmond's unsheltered population grew by about 120% this year over last, WRIC reported.

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🏫 Richmond Public Schools is pursuing a range of school safety improvements, including a pilot program at four schools that will require students to lock up their cellphones in pouches for the duration of the school day. (Times-Dispatch)

😬 Patients at Richmond-area HCA hospitals may have been among the 11 million people potentially affected by the data breach of the health system's records. (Times-Dispatch)

• Affected patients will be contacted by the hospital.

🎰 Urban One, the company hoping to build a casino in Richmond, has not yet filed its federal financial disclosures, which were due May 15. (VPM)

• It also filed late last year.

North Carolina bested Virginia for the second year in a row as CNBC's 2023 Top State for Business.

What's happening: Virginia came in second place.

• The cable network cited a series of recent economic development wins in North Carolina, including plans by Apple to build a $1 billion facility — the company's first East Coast hub.

Meanwhile, the network lauded Virginia for coming in first place for education, but dinged us for high costs of doing business, including higher wages.

Of note: Virginia has scored the top spot on the list five times since it debuted in 2007.

💭 Ned's thought bubble: As someone who has helped make lists like this, it's hard to take the results too seriously.

• Think about how boring it would be if it were the same state at the top year after year.

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Need a last-minute summer getaway?

Breeze Airways is running an end-of-summer travel promotion, with one-way tickets out of Richmond to 11 cities on sale.

Zoom in: Fares start at $39 for flights to Charleston, $49 to Tampa, $54 to New Orleans and $75 to Las Vegas for trips made between Aug. 9-29.

• Tickets must be purchased by Monday.

Plus, travelers can upgrade from Breeze's Nicer seat (not the cheap one) to Nicest for $1 more.

Keep reading to see the full list of destinations included in the promotion