Upcoming Elections
2009 General Election: 11/3/09
Polling Place Hours: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voter Registration Information
Registration Deadline
Monday, October 5, 2009
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.
How to Check Registration
Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE
Contact your County Elections Official
Voting Information
Identification Required to Vote
Virginia law requires an election officer to ask the voter to present one of the following forms of identification: a Commonwealth of Virginia voter registration card; a social security card; a valid Virginia driver's license; or any other identification card issued by a government agency of the Commonwealth, one of its political subdivisions, or the United States; or any valid 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.
But the voter may still vote using a REGULAR ballot without presenting such identification after signing a statement under penalty of perjury (an Affirmation of Identity) that states he or she is the named registered voter.
How to Find Your Polling Place
Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE
Check the Virginai Election and Registration Information System
Absentee Voting
Click here to visit GoVoteAbsentee.org, a resource for absentee voters.
The following registered voters may vote by absentee ballot in any election in which they are qualified to vote:
- Any person who, in the regular and orderly course of his business, profession, or occupation or while on personal business or vacation, will be absent from the county or city in which he is entitled to vote;
- Any person who is (i) a member of a uniformed service of the United States, on active duty, or (ii) a member of the merchant marine of the United States, or (iii) who temporarily resides outside of the United States, or (iv) the spouse or dependent residing with any person listed in (i), (ii), or (iii), and who will be absent on the day of the election from the county or city in which he is entitled to vote.
- Any student attending a school or institution of learning, or his spouse, who will be absent on the day of election from the county or city in which he is entitled to vote;
- Any person who is unable to go in person to the polls on the day of election because of a disability, illness or pregnancy;
- Any person who is confined while awaiting trial or for having been convicted of a misdemeanor, provided that the trial or release date is scheduled on or after the third day preceding the election. Any person who is awaiting trial and is a resident of the county or city where he is confined shall, on his request, be taken to the polls to vote on election day if his trial date is postponed and he did not have an opportunity to vote absentee;
- Any person who is a member of an electoral board, registrar, officer of election, or custodian of voting equipment;
- Any duly registered person who is unable to go in person to the polls on the day of the election because he is primarily and personally responsible for the care of an ill or disabled family member who is confined at home; or
- Any duly registered person who is unable to go in person to the polls on the day of the election because of an obligation occasioned by his religion.
- Any person who, in the regular and orderly course of his business, profession, or occupation, will be at his place of work and commuting to and from his home to his place of work for eleven or more hours of the thirteen that the polls are open (6:00 AM to 7:00 PM).
- Any person who is a law-enforcement officer; firefighter; volunteer firefighter; search and rescue personnel or emergency medical services personnel.
Rules and Deadlines:
- Completing an absentee ballot application: Virginia law prescribes that Applications for absentee ballots shall be completed in one of the following manners:
- In Person: An application completed in person shall be made not less than three days prior to the election in which the applicant offers to vote and completed only in the office of the local general registrar. The applicant shall sign the application in the presence of a registrar or the secretary of the electoral board.
- By mail, electronic or telephonic transmission to a facsimile device: Applications can be made by mail, electronic or by fax, if one is available to the office of the local general registrar. If a facsimile device is not available locally contact us. The application shall be sent to the appropriate local general registrar not less than seven days prior to the election in which the applicant offers to vote.
Early Voting
Starting 45 days before the election and ending at 5:00 pm on October 28, a voter may apply for an absentee ballot in-person at the registrar's office and either vote in-person at the office, or request to have their ballot mailed to them.
After 5:00 pm on October 28, a voter may still apply for an absentee ballot in-person at the registrar's office. However, he or she must vote the absentee ballot in person at the registrar's office.
Check with your county registrar's office for hours of operation and locations for in-person absentee voting.
The following registered voters may vote by absentee ballot, both in person and through the mail, in any election in which they are qualified to vote:
- Any person who, in the regular and orderly course of his business, profession, or occupation or while on personal business or vacation, will be absent from the county or city in which he is entitled to vote;
- Any person who is (i) a member of a uniformed service of the United States, on active duty, or (ii) a member of the merchant marine of the United States, or (iii) who temporarily resides outside of the United States, or (iv) the spouse or dependent residing with any person listed in (i), (ii), or (iii), and who will be absent on the day of the election from the county or city in which he is entitled to vote.
- Any student attending a school or institution of learning, or his spouse, who will be absent on the day of election from the county or city in which he is entitled to vote;
- Any person who is unable to go in person to the polls on the day of election because of a disability, illness or pregnancy;
- Any person who is confined while awaiting trial or for having been convicted of a misdemeanor, provided that the trial or release date is scheduled on or after the third day preceding the election. Any person who is awaiting trial and is a resident of the county or city where he is confined shall, on his request, be taken to the polls to vote on election day if his trial date is postponed and he did not have an opportunity to vote absentee;
- Any person who is a member of an electoral board, registrar, officer of election, or custodian of voting equipment;
- Any duly registered person who is unable to go in person to the polls on the day of the election because he is primarily and personally responsible for the care of an ill or disabled family member who is confined at home; or
- Any duly registered person who is unable to go in person to the polls on the day of the election because of an obligation occasioned by his religion.
- Any person who, in the regular and orderly course of his business, profession, or occupation, will be at his place of work and commuting to and from his home to his place of work for eleven or more hours of the thirteen that the polls are open (6:00 AM to 7:00 PM).
- Any person who is a law-enforcement officer; firefighter; volunteer firefighter; search and rescue personnel or emergency medical services personnel.
Information For People who have Moved or Changed Addresses
If you have moved to another precinct in Virginia, you have the right to vote in the following November election and any intervening election at the polling place for your last address, unless your registration has been transferred or cancelled. If you moved out of the state within 30 days of an election, you cannot vote in Virginia this fall.
Information for People with Felony Convictions
You can register and vote if you have been convicted of a felony and you must have been released from supervised probation for a minimum of three (3) years for a non-violent offense or five (5) years for a violent, drug distribution, or drug manufacturing offense and have no other convictions (felonies or misdemeanors) during that time, and paid any court costs owed, and have had your application for restoration of civil rights approved by a circuit court and granted by the Governor.
For more information, go to the State Board of Election website.
