Virginia voter registration
- In Person: Received by close of business 22 days before Election Day OR If you miss the deadline, Same-Day Registration is available during Early Voting and on Election Day.
- By Mail: Postmarked 22 days before Election Day.
- Online: Received by 11:59 PM 22 days before Election Day.
You may register at the office of your general registrar or satellite
location during the early voting period. On Election Day, you must go to the
polling place for the precinct in which you reside.To register in Virginia you must:
- 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).
- Be a U. S. Citizen.
- Be 18 years old (any person who is 17 years old and will be eighteen years of age at the next general election shall be permitted to register in advance and also vote in any intervening primary or special election).
- Not be registered and plan to vote in another state.
- Not currently declared mentally incompetent by a court of law.
- If convicted of a felony, your right to vote must have been restored.
- Use our Register to Vote Tool to fill out the National Voter Registration Form.
- Sign and date your form. This is very important!
- Mail or hand-deliver your completed form to the address we provide.
- Make sure you register before the voter registration deadline.
- If you have been convicted of a felony and have questions about whether you can register to vote, visit Restore Your Vote to determine your eligibility.
Virginia absentee ballots
- In Person: Received 3 days before Election Day.
- By Mail: Received by 5 PM 11 days before Election Day.
- Online: Received by 5 PM 11 days before Election Day.
- Postmarked by Election Day and received by noon 3 days after Election Day.
Any registered Virginia voter may apply for an absentee ballot and vote by mail.
- Use our Absentee Ballot Tool to prepare your application.
- Sign and date the form. This is very important!
- Return your completed application to your Local Election Office as soon as possible. We'll provide the mailing address for you.
- All Local Election Offices will accept mailed or hand-delivered forms. Your Local Election Official will also let you fax or email the application.
- Double-check the deadlines and be sure to cast your voted ballot on time to be sure it is counted.
- Please contact your Local Election Office if you have any further questions about the exact process.
- Once you receive the ballot, carefully read and follow the instructions.
- Sign and date where indicated.
- Mail your voted ballot back to the address indicated on the return envelope.
- Double-check the deadlines and be sure to cast your voted ballot on time to be sure it is counted.
Virginia Early Voting
45 days before Election Day (in-person absentee voting).
3 days before Election Day (in-person absentee voting) at 5PM.
Virginia voter ID
All Virginia voters must bring one of the following forms of ID to vote early or on Election Day:
- A Virginia driver’s license (regardless of expiration date)
- Any identification issued by Virginia, one of its political subdivisions (including the 11 Indian tribes recognized in Virginia), or the United States, other than a driver privilege card
- Voter confirmation documents received after registering to vote
- A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document containing the name and address of the voter
The following IDs are also acceptable if they are valid. “Valid” means genuinely issued by the agency or issuing entity appearing on the document and current or not expired for more than 12 months.
- A U.S. passport
- A student identification card issued by any institution of higher education located in Virginia or any private school located in Virginia
- A student identification card containing a photograph of the voter and issued by any institution of high education located in any other state or territory of the United States
- An employee identification card containing a photograph of the voter and issued by an employer of the voter in the ordinary course of the employer’s business
If you've voted in Virginia before, registered in person, or provided ID at the time of registration, you don't need to provide ID to vote by mail.
If you're voting in Virginia for the first time, registered to vote by mail, and didn't provide ID when you registered, be sure to enclose a copy of your current and valid photo ID, or a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address when you return your ballot.
Offsite links
- State Election Website
- Local Election Office: This is the government office responsible for running elections in your region. These are the best people to contact if you have any questions at all about voting in your state.
- Find your polling place
- Absentee ballot tracker tool
- Learn more about absentee voting
- Learn more about early voting
- Learn more about voter ID
- State Election Code