When Is the Virginia Voter Registration Deadline?
The registration deadline in Virginia for general and primary elections is 11 days before Election Day. For special elections, the deadline is 11 days before the election. An exception is an election called for by the Governor, which has a deadline of 7 days before the election day. If you miss the deadline, you can still register and vote on Election Day using Virginia’s same-day registration.
If you register on Election Day, you will receive a provisional ballot. Election officials will count your vote after they verify your registration. You can check your registration status through the Virginia Citizen Portal.
What You Should Know About Virginia Primary Elections
Virginia holds open primaries. This means a registered voter may participate in any party’s primary election, regardless of party affiliation. However, you’re limited to voting in only one party’s primary per election. You cannot cast ballots across multiple parties in the same election cycle.
Presidential primaries operate under different rules. Each party has the authority to set its own participation requirements, which may include signing a pledge of support for the party’s nominee before you are permitted to vote.
Can Noncitizens Vote in Virginia?
Only U.S. citizens can vote. Lawful permanent residents, visa holders, and others who are not citizens cannot vote, even if they have lived in Virginia for years or pay taxes.
How Do I Request an Absentee Ballot in Virginia?
You can request an absentee ballot by filling out an online application. After you submit your request, you can track its status through the Citizen Portal.
You can return your ballot by mail, in person, or at a designated drop-off location. Virginia no longer requires a witness signature. You’re required to write the last four digits of your Social Security number on the return envelope.
Virginia allows emergency absentee voting if you are ill, hospitalized, or face an unexpected emergency or obligation. For more information, visit the Department of Elections‘ Absentee and Early Voting page.
Military and overseas voters may use write-in absentee ballots. Visit the military and overseas voting page for details.
What Do I Need To Bring to the Polls in Virginia?
When voting in person, you must show an acceptable form of identification. Acceptable ID includes both photo and certain non-photo IDs.
Photo IDs accepted at the polls include:
- Virginia driver’s license or DMV-issued ID card
- U.S. military ID
- Valid U.S. passport
- Government-issued photo ID from a federal, Virginia, or local government agency
- Tribal enrollment card or tribal ID from one of the eleven state-recognized tribes
- Valid employee ID card with a photograph
If you do not have a photo ID, you can use certain non-photo documents. These include a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, or paycheck that shows your name and address. These documents must be no more than 12 months old.
What if I Don’t Have an Acceptable ID?
If you cannot show an acceptable ID, you have two options. You can sign an ID Confirmation Statement and vote a regular ballot. If that’s not possible, you can still vote by provisional ballot. Provisional ballots are set aside at the time of voting and reviewed after the polls close.
Under the Help America Vote Act of 2002, polling places cannot turn you away just because you lack identification. If a poll worker does not offer you a provisional ballot when you are entitled to one, report it to the Virginia Department of Elections or your local registrar’s office.
What Special Accommodations Are Available?
Federal law protects the right to vote for people with disabilities. Virginia polling places must meet accessibility standards, including accessible parking, building entrances, and magnifiers for reading ballots. Notepads and writing materials are available for voters who communicate nonverbally.
If a disability prevents you from entering a polling place, you have other options. You can vote by mail, through in-person absentee voting, or by curbside voting. With curbside voting, poll workers bring a ballot to your vehicle if you cannot enter the building. If you have problems with polling place accessibility, you can file a complaint with the Virginia Department of Elections.
Rights of Virginia Voters
Virginia law gives registered voters several protections before, during, and after an election. Let’s examine a few of the most important ones.
Ballot Curing
If you submit a mail-in ballot with a technical error, such as an incomplete affirmation or missing information, Virginia law gives you a chance to fix it before your vote is discarded. If the general registrar finds a problem with your ballot envelope, they must notify you in writing or by email within three days. To be eligible for curing, election officials must receive your ballot by the Friday before Election Day. Once notified, you have until noon on the Thursday after the election to correct the error.
Same-Day Voter Registration
If you missed the registration deadline, you can still register and vote on the same day in Virginia. Go to your polling place, register in person, and cast a provisional ballot. Your vote will be counted once officials verify your registration. This option is also available during early voting at your local registrar’s office.
Right To Stay in Line
If you arrive at your polling place before 7 p.m. and are still in line when polls close, you have the right to stay and cast your ballot. Poll workers cannot turn away voters who were in line before closing time.
Right To Cast a Provisional Ballot
If you arrive to vote without an acceptable ID, Virginia law lets you cast a provisional ballot instead of being turned away. Your ballot will be counted once officials verify your eligibility.
What Should I Do if I See Something Illegal at the Polls?
Virginia law regulates conduct in and around polling places on Election Day. A 40-foot buffer zone surrounds each entrance used by voters. Within that zone, no one may loiter, distribute campaign materials, or try to influence voters. This rule applies to candidates, campaign workers, and the general public.
Voters who are there only to cast their own ballot may wear clothing or accessories with a candidate’s name or political message. This exemption does not extend to candidates, their representatives, or anyone else who enters the polling place for any purpose other than voting.
Virginia prohibits possessing a firearm within 40 feet of any building used as a polling place, starting one hour before polls open to one hour after polls close. Exceptions apply to qualified law enforcement officers, retired officers qualified under state law, licensed armed security personnel whose duties require them to be there, and people on their own private property within the buffer zone.
How Do I Report a Voting Problem?
You can file a complaint with the Virginia Department of Elections. Complaints may cover registration errors, possible voter fraud, intimidation, accessibility issues, or violations of election law.
If you see or experience anything illegal at the polls, you can also report it to:
- Your local registrar’s office
- The Virginia Department of Elections
- The U.S. Department of Justice, by submitting a Violation of Civil Rights Complaint Form online, by fax, or by mail to:
U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20530-0001
Get Legal Help With Your Voting Rights
If you are a voter in the Commonwealth of Virginia who believes your voting rights were violated, whether through intimidation, denial of a ballot, or interference with your ability to vote, consider speaking with a Virginia civil rights attorney. An attorney can help you understand your legal options, help you gather evidence, and take further action if needed.
POLLING PLACE FINDER
