Virginia

Election Day

Polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern time on Election Day. 

Early Voting

Registered voters may go in person to their local registrar’s office or a satellite voting location) to vote early in-person. A registered voter will be allowed to vote in-person in the registrar’s office.  In-person early voting is conducted starting 45 days (September 18, 2020) prior to an election.  You cannot register to vote and cast an early ballot in person on the same day.  You do not have to have a reason or fill out an application to vote early in-person.  Contact information for your local registrar’s office can be found here.

By Mail 

See below for more information on voting by mail.

How to Find Your Polling Place: 

A voter can determine his or her proper polling place by checking the Virginia Voter Info website. 

Registration Deadlines

The voter registration deadline is 22 calendar days before Election Day for General and Primary elections.  

For the November 3, 2020 general election the registration deadline is Tuesday, October 13, 2020. 

How to Check Your Registration

To verify your registration status, visit here or call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

Registration Eligibility: In order to be eligible to register to vote in Virginia, you must:

• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Reside in Virginia;
• Be at least 18 years old on or before Election Day;
• Not be registered and plan to vote in another state.
• Have rights restored if previously convicted of a felony; and
• Have had a capacity restored by court order if declared mentally incapacitated. 

How to Register: Virginia residents may register to vote in one of the following ways:

• Online

Applicants can apply to register on the Virginia Department of Elections website, provided they have a valid Virginia driver’s license or state ID card and social security number handy.

• By Mail

In order to register by mail, you must obtain a mail-in registration form by downloading a mail-in form from the Virginia Department of Elections website or by picking up a form at one of the following places:

• A local voter registration office, 
• State or local government offices when applying or re-certifying for Aid to Dependent Children, Food Stamps, WIC, Medicaid, or Rehabilitation Services 
• Government offices in the State that provide State-funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to person with disabilities, 
• Armed forces recruitment offices, 
• Public libraries, 
• Virginia Department of Elections office, 
• Department of Motor Vehicles offices, or 
• Voter Registration Drives.

1. In person

You may register to vote in person at a local voter registration office.

Identification Required for Registration: Identification is not required of voters registering in person, although the Virginia Voter Registration Form requires the applicant’s social security number.  If an applicant does not provide his/her social security number, the application for voter registration will be denied.

All voters must show one acceptable form of ID or sign an ID confirmation statement when voting in-person. In federal elections, all first-time voters who registered by mail will be required to provide one acceptable form of ID; a written statement will not be accepted.

If You Want to Vote Early In-Person In-person early voting: Registered voters may go in person to their local registrar’s office to vote early, no reason is needed to vote early.   In-person early voting is conducted starting 45 days prior to an election.  You cannot register to vote and cast an early ballot on the same day.   Contact information for your local registrar’s office can be found at: https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation/PublicContactLookup 

If You Want to Vote Absentee By Mail

This type of absentee voting allows a voter to request an absentee ballot be sent to the voter by mail.  Any registered Virginia voter can request a mail-in absentee. 

Voters can easily apply for an absentee ballot online by visiting here or may obtain an absentee ballot application on the Department of Elections’ website, at the State Board of Elections’ office, or at the office of a county board of elections.  All absentee ballot requests must be received by the voter’s local registrar by 5:00 p.m. on October 23, 2020.   A completed paper copy of the absentee ballot request can be mailed, e-mailed, faxed, or delivered to the county board of elections in person.  

Under certain circumstances, first-time voters cannot vote absentee by mail in state and local elections.  Under certain circumstances, first-time voters in Virginia who registered to vote by mail are required to send a copy of their ID when voting absentee by mail and will be notified when sent their absentee ballot.  For more information on voting absentee as a first time Virginia voter, please go here. 

The voter may vote the ballot and return it to their local registrar’s office on or before November 3, 2020.  The deadline to return an absentee ballot is by the close of polls (7:00 p.m.) on Election Day. If returning by mail, it must be postmarked on or before election day, and received by the registrar by noon on the third day following the election (Friday, November 6, 2020 for the upcoming General Election).

Only the voter themselves can drop off their ballot at the registrar’s office, but there are no prohibitions or restrictions on who drops off the voter’s ballot at a ballot drop box.

If a voter has not received their absentee ballot by Election Day they can still vote in person. The voter should go to their normal polling place and request a “goldenrod form” that they sign under penalty of law swearing they never received an absentee ballot, and then should be able to cast a regular ballot, rather than a provisional ballot. [Note: The legal language here is tricky so the best way forward is to let voters know this may be an option, but that the voter should call their local election office ahead of time or talk to the chief election officer at their polling place to see if this is a route they can take.] Regardless, a voter must be allowed to vote a provisional ballot, which will be counted if the voter has not also returned their absentee ballot by mail.

Identification Requirements to Cast a Ballot

All Virginia voters must present a valid form of identification or sign an ID Confirmation Statement when voting in-person.

In federal elections, all first-time voters who registered by mail will be required to provide one acceptable form of ID; a written statement will not be accepted.

Acceptable forms of ID include:

• Virginia Driver’s License;
• Any other ID issued by Virginia or one of its political subdivisions;
• Valid U.S. passport or any other U.S. government-issued ID;
• Student ID card issued by any institution of higher education located in Virginia or any private school located in Virginia;
• A signed ID confirmation statement;
• A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paychek, or other government document containing the name and address of the voter; and
• Employee photo ID card.

For a detailed list of accepted ID please click here: Acceptable IDs for voting in Virginia 

“Valid” means the document is genuine and is not expired for more than twelve months, EXCEPT for a Virginia driver’s license, for which the expiration date should NOT be considered when determining its validity. 

If your current address does not match that on the voter rolls, the officer of election shall provide you with a change of address form.  False statements in the form are subject to felony penalties. 

If you do not have identification with you, you may sign an ID Confirmation Statement.  Otherwise, you may cast a provisional ballot, but you must submit a copy of your ID or sign and submit an ID Confirmation Statement to your local electoral board via fax, email, in-person, or via mail. Your copies or confirmation statement must be received by the local electoral board by noon Friday, November 6, 2020 or your provisional ballot will not be counted. 

Moving within the Same Precinct 

Go to your regular polling location. You need to ask for and fill out a change of address form. You can cast a regular ballot.

Moving within the Same Congressional District within the Same County or City

Go to your OLD precinct to vote (unless your registration has been transferred or canceled). You may vote through the next two federal elections following your move and any intervening elections. You need to ask for and fill out a change of address form. You can cast a regular ballot.

Moving Between Congressional Districts and/or Counties

Go to your OLD precinct to vote (unless your registration has been transferred or canceled). You may vote through the next November general election following your move and any intervening elections. You need to ask for and fill out a change of address form. You can cast a regular ballot.

More information can be found at the Department of Elections website.

Registering and Requesting an Absentee Ballot

Military and overseas citizens can use the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), also known as Standard Form 76, to register to vote and to request an absentee ballot.  Visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) Virginia-specific FPCA webpage. Military and overseas citizens can send and receive voting materials by fax and email.  If you wish to use the fax or email options, you must indicate this on your FPCA.  

More information can be found at the Department of Elections website.

If you have a felony conviction, then you will not be able to register to vote unless your rights have been restored by the Governor. You can request restoration of rights and check on the status of your request by visiting the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Restoration of Rights website. 

Voters may also request more information from our state partner, visit their website Revive My Vote, or call 1-844-WE2-VOTE (1-844-932-8683).

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