Virginia

Polls open at 6am and close at 7pm ET on Election day, November 8, 2022. Voters that are in line by 7:00 pm will be able to vote if their turn takes longer than 7:00 pm.

Polling Place Lookup: https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/polling-place-lookup/ On Election Day the voter can only vote at their assigned polling place for their address.

Registration Deadlines

• For registration deadlines, see How to Register below.

How to Check Your Registration: Voters can determine whether they are registered to vote at the following link: Am I Registered?.

You are eligible to vote in Virginia if you:

• Are a U.S citizen
• Are a resident of Virginia
• Are at least 18 years old by Election Day

You are NOT eligible to vote in Virginia if:

• You have been legally declared “mentally incompetent” by a court
• You are registered to vote in another state
• You are in prison for a felony conviction.

Agencies or courts in Virginia have issued opinions that individuals under guardianship DO have the right to vote unless the guardianship decree contains an express order otherwise.

Restorative Requirements

You can’t vote while incarcerated, while on probation, or while on parole. Your right to vote can only be restored by the Governor. However, this process is effectively automatic for anyone who has been released from prison. This is subject to change under future Governors, this page will be updated as needed.

How to register 

• Voters with a Virginia drivers license or state ID may register on-line at https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/Registration/DmvLookup Paper registration forms (including forms in Spanish, Vietnamese and Korean) may be found at  https://www.elections.virginia.gov/registration/how-to-register/ Paper forms may also be obtained from other sources, including public libraries. 
• In order to register to vote in Virginia, a person must
  • 1) be a resident of Virginia (a person who has come to Virginia for temporary purposes and intends to return to another state is not considered a resident for voting purposes); 
  • 2) be a U.S. Citizen; 
  • 3) be 18 years old by Election Day (If the voter is 17, they can still register and vote in elections if they will be 18 on or before the next general election); 
  • 4) not be registered NOR plan to vote in another state; 
  • 5) not be currently declared mentally incompetent by a court of law; 
  • and 6) if convicted of a felony, the right to vote must have been restored

If You Want to Vote Absentee, requests may be made:

• In-Person
• By Mail
• By Fax
• By Email
• Online

Absentee Ballots may be returned:

• In-Person
• By Mail

• All registered voters (except some first time voters in the city or county) may apply for a mail (absentee) ballot on-line at https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation. Virginia voters have the option to opt-in to the Permanent Absentee Mailing List. Vote by Mail Paper Application Forms.  can be found at   https://www.elections.virginia.gov/media/formswarehouse/absentee-voting/applications/SBE-701-Absentee-Ballot-Application-Rev7-17-long.pdf or obtained from City or County elections offices, public libraries and other sources.
• The absentee ballot should be completed and returned in person to the voter’s local registrar by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. They may also be returned to drop box locations or at any polling place on election day. If the voter is returning their ballot by-mail, it must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by the voter’s registrar by noon on the third day after the election.
• Early voting is at the City or County General Registrar’s Office as well as at satellite locations found here: https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/early-voting-office-locations/

Voter Registration

To register to vote in Virginia you should provide:

• Your Social Security Number
• Your Virginia Driver’s License or State ID Number (online applicants only)

Voting In-Person

Registered voters can use any of the IDs below or sign an ID Confirmation Statement at the polls. Voters arriving at the polls without an acceptable form of ID will be required to sign an ID Confirmation Statement.

• Valid Virginia Driver’s License
• Valid Virginia non-driver’s ID
• Valid Military ID
• Valid Tribal ID
• Valid Student ID from State School
• Valid US Passport
• Valid Virginia Voter ID Card
• Utility Bill, Bank Statement, Government Check, or Paycheck that Shows your current name and address
• Valid Employee ID with photo
• Government issued nursing care facility ID card
• Government Issued Document that shows your current name and address

ID requirements also apply to early voters who vote at the General Registrar’s Office or at a satellite voting location. Note that you can use an expired Virginia driver’s license for voting purposes.

A list of acceptable IDs for voting can be found at https://www.elections.virginia.gov/media/formswarehouse/voter-id/outreach-materials/documents/Voter-Identification-Chart-Rev-4-28-21.pdf This list includes expired driver’s licenses and state ID cards and some other documents that expired within a year. A voter without an acceptable ID, can sign an ID statement affirming their identity and can vote a regular ballot. Certain first time voters in the jurisdiction who did not provide ID when registering may be required to supply ID and may not utilize the aforementioned option.

• Voters may use Same Day Registration to vote at the precinct corresponding to their current address.
• Alternatively, they may vote a regular ballot at their old precinct if the move was after
  • November 7, 2018 and they are in the same city or county and the same Congressional District.
  • November 3, 2021 and they have moved to a new city, county or Congressional District.

Voting Military

Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form (“FPCA”). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• Complete Social Security Number

Voting Overseas

U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• Complete Social Security Number

• If the voter is an absent military or overseas citizen eligible to vote in state and local elections, they may register to vote and submit an absentee ballot application electronically for a specific election or any elections up through the next year using the Department of Elections voter registration portal at https://www.elections.virginia.gov/citizen-portal/.
• Please note that a driver’s license or identification card issued by the Virginia DMV is required to complete the process on-line.  The voter may also apply by using the federal postcard application (FPCA), available at  www.fvap.gov. The voter can submit their FPCA by scanned email attachment to  info@elections.virginia.gov or via fax to (804) 371-0194. Detailed instructions are provided in the Virginia Voting Assistance Guide at https://www.fvap.gov/guide/chapter2/virginia. FPCA’s are valid for all elections in the calendar year in which they are submitted and must be renewed annually.
• If the voter does not receive their state ballot in time, the voter may vote using a Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB), available at www.fvap.gov.

• If the voter has only been convicted of a misdemeanor, they can vote. 
• A person who has been convicted of a felony in a Virginia state court may register to vote and vote only if their rights have been restored. Previous Governors of Virginia have prioritized rights restoration and have been restoring rights of formerly incarcerated Virginia residents on an ongoing basis. If a person has a felony conviction in Virginia, they may check on the status of their restoration at the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Restoration of Rights webpage (https://solutions.virginia.gov/RestorationOfRights/Search). If a person has a felony conviction in a state other than Virginia, that person must first have their rights restored in that state before being able to register to vote in Virginia. Note that in many states restoration is automatic upon completion of the sentence.