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How to vote in Virginia
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Virginia voter registration guide
Virginia voter registration deadlines
- Register to vote (online): 21 days before Election Day
- Register to vote (by mail): Postmarked 21 days before election
- Register to vote (in person): 21 days before Election Day
Check your Virginia voter registration status
- If you can't remember if you're registered to vote, or you want to make sure your information is correct, you can check your Virginia registration using the Virginia voter registration lookup tool.
- If you're not registered to vote, or you need to update your voter registration information, follow the instructions below.
Virginia voter registration rules
To register in Virginia you must:
- be a citizen of the United States
- be a resident of Virginia and of the precinct in which you want to vote
- be 17 years old to register and 18 years old by the next General Election. If you are 17, you may vote in a primary if you will turn 18 by the General Election
- if convicted of a felony, have had your civil rights restored. Most people have their civil rights restored when they complete probation and parole. You may find your civil rights status here: https://solutions.virginia.gov/RestorationOfRights/Search and
- not currently be declared incapacitated by a court.
Virginia online voter registration
- You can register to vote online if you have a Virginia driver's license, driver's permit, or state-issued photo ID card.
- Visit the Virginia online voter registration tool.
- Fill out all the required fields.
- You will be registered to vote as soon as you finish the workflow.
- You should receive your voter registration card in the mail within 2-3 weeks. If not, you might want to follow up with your Local Election Office.
- The deadline to register to vote online is 21 days before Election Day.
Virginia by-mail voter registration
- Download and fill out the National Voter Registration Form.
- Box 6 - ID Number: Virginia requires you to provide your full social security number when you register to vote. Your social security number will appear on reports produced only for official use by voter registration and election officials and, for jury selection purposes, by courts.
- Box 7 - Choice of Party: You do not need to register with a party to take part in that party’s primary election, caucus, or convention.
- Box 8 - Race or Ethnic Group: Leave blank.
- Print, date, and sign the form. If you do not have a printer, you can print the form out at any local library. If you do not have a stamp, you can buy one from any grocery store: just ask the cashier to sell you one.
- Mail your voter registration form to the mailing address below. For faster delivery, send the form directly to your Local Election Office.
- Your voter registration form must be postmarked 21 days before election
Virginia in-person voter registration
- Contact your Local Election Office to find where to register to vote in person.
- Bring your Virginia driver's license number or state ID card with you. If you don't have one, bring one photo ID issued by any state or the federal government, and bring one document that shows your name and current address. Acceptable documents include a recent utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, residential lease, or any government document that shows your name and address.
Virginia absentee and mail ballot guide
Virginia absentee ballot overview
Absentee ballots and mail ballots are the same thing, and the process for getting one is straight forward.
- Request your ballot by the deadline
- Receive your in ballot in the mail
- Return your ballot by the deadline
Virginia absentee deadlines
- Earliest day to apply: November 3, 2019
- Request deadline (online): 11 days before Election Day
- Request deadline (by mail): Received 11 days before Election Day
- Request deadline (in person): 11 days before Election Day
- Deadline to return your ballot (by mail): Postmarked by Election Day
- Deadline to return your ballot (in person): Received by Election Day
Virginia absentee ballot rules
If you have voted at least once in Virginia, you may request an absentee ballot and vote by mail. If you are a first-time VA voter and you did not register to vote in person, you can only vote by absentee ballot if one of the following is true:
- you are a student attending college/university outside of your city/county of residence in Virginia,
- you have a disability or illness that prevents you from voting in person,
- you are pregnant,
- you are confined awaiting trial or you are confined following conviction for a misdemeanor,
- you are active duty merchant marine or in the armed forces or a spouse or dependent of an active duty service member,
- you are temporarily residing outside of the United States,
- you have moved to another state less than thirty days before a Presidential election and you are requesting a ballot for Presidential and Vice-Presidential electors only,
- you are age 65 or older.
Virginia absentee ballot directions
In almost all cases, you will need to sign up to vote by mail. The state won’t just mail you a ballot. Don't worry: we will walk you through it. There are only a handful of steps:
- You submit an application to vote by mail.
- Your Local Election Office processes your application.
- Your Local Election Office sends your ballot to you.
- You vote using the ballot and return it by the deadline.
Request your ballot online (recommended)
- Visit the Virginia absentee ballot website.
- Fill out all of the required information.
- Hit save or submit when you are done.
- The deadline to apply online is: 11 days before Election Day.
Request your ballot by mail
- Download the Virginia absentee ballot application.
- Fill out all of the required fields.
- Print the application.
- Sign and date your application. This is very important.
- Mail or hand-deliver your completed application directly to your Local Election Office as soon as possible, but no later than the deadline.
- If it’s close to the deadline, call your Local Election Office and see if they will let you submit your application via email or fax.
- The deadline to apply by mail is: Received 11 days before Election Day.
Request your ballot in person
- Visit your Local Election Office.
- Ask the clerk to give you an absentee ballot application.
- Fill out all of the required fields.
- Sign and date your application.
- The deadline to apply in person is: 11 days before Election Day.
After you receive your ballot
- Carefully read and follow the instructions, and fill out all required fields.
- Sign and date the outside envelope.
- Mail or hand-deliver your ballot to your Local Election Office. You can also hand-deliver your ballot to a state-provided dropbox. You can use our Find Out Where To Vote tool to find an official dropbox.
- If you mail your ballot, it must be Postmarked by Election Day.
- If you hand-deliver your ballot, it must be Received by Election Day.
- If you miss the deadline – or forget to sign the outside envelope – your vote will not be counted.
Virginia absentee ballot ID requirements
- ID required when requesting a mail-in ballot: You must provide the last 4 digits of your social security number on your absentee ballot application. Additionally, the signature on your absentee ballot application will be compared to the signature on your voter registration card to ensure they match.
- ID required when returning a mail-in ballot: Your voted ballot must be signed by one witness.
Additional Virginia voter information
Virginia early voting
- Early voting starts: 45 days before Election Day
- Early voting ends: 3 days before Election Day
- What to bring: You must show ID when you vote. Acceptable forms of photo ID include an ID issued by any state or the federal government, a tribal ID, an employee ID, or a student ID issued by an accredited school. Acceptable forms of non-photo ID include a recent utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document containing your name and address.
Virginia voter ID laws
- ID requirements for voting in person: You must show ID when you vote. Acceptable forms of photo ID include an ID issued by any state or the federal government, a tribal ID, an employee ID, or a student ID issued by an accredited school. Acceptable forms of non-photo ID include a recent utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document containing your name and address.
- ID requirements when requesting an absentee or mail ballot: You must provide the last 4 digits of your social security number on your absentee ballot application. Additionally, the signature on your absentee ballot application will be compared to the signature on your voter registration card to ensure they match.
- ID requirements when returning an absentee or mail ballot: Your voted ballot must be signed by one witness.
Local Election Office
Contact your Local Election Office if you have questions.
Statewide election office
This is the statewide agency that is ultimately responsible for Virginia elections. You can contact them with questions, but your Local Election Office will probably respond faster.
Virginia State Board of Elections 1100 Bank Street, 1st floor Richmond, VA 23219
External resources
VoteAmerica resources
How to vote
How to vote