Registering to Vote

Text Only Version

	Virginia Voters’ Rights and Responsibilities
	Virginia Voter Registration Application
	Who May Register To Vote
	Voter Information for College Students
	Voter Legal Residency Requirements
	When Can I Register To Vote
	Where Can I Register To Vote
	How To Register To Vote
	Voter ID Requirements
	Registration Deadlines
	Exceptions to Voter Registration Deadlines
	Where To Send The Application
	Changing Your Name Or Address
	Persons Moving From Precinct
	How Will A Person Know If The Registration Was Accepted
	How Will A Person Know If The Registration Was Denied
	Appeal Of Person Denied Registration
	On-Line Version of the Federal Post Card Application
	Understanding The Act Of Applying For Voter Registration
	Temporary Registration
	Restoration of Voting Rights

Virginia Voter Registration Application

The Virginia Voter Registration Application is available for download from this site in Adobe® Portable Document Format (PDF). You must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view or print the application. After downloading the application form: 1) print the form, 2) read the instructions accompanying the form, 3) fill out the requested information on the form carefully, 4) sign the application and, 5) mail the completed application to your local general registrar's office.

Click here to download the Virginia Voter Registration Application form in pdf format.

Who May Register To Vote

To be eligible to register to vote in Virginia a person must meet all of the following criteria:

	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)
	does not claim the right to vote in any other State
	not currently declared mentally incompetent by a court of law
	if convicted of a felony, your right to vote must have been restored

When Can I Register

You may register to vote anytime of the year. However, to participate in an upcoming election your registration application must be received by either the local registration office or the State Board of Elections by the specified registration deadlines.

Where To Register

Voter registration applications are available at many locations throughout the state. Applicants may pick up a federal or uniform statewide voter registration application, fill out the application, and mail it to their local registration office. Application forms are available at no charge for public and private distribution. Persons eligible to register can obtain a registration application at any of the following:

local voter registration office

state or local government offices when applying or recertifying 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

State Board of Elections office

Department of Motor Vehicles offices

any special voter registration sites

How To Register To Vote

Qualified US citizens can register to vote by obtaining, completing, and filing a voter registration application form. The completed application can be filed with the local registration office or mailed to the address printed on the form. Application for registration can be submitted using a Virginia Voter Registration Application form or a National Voter Registration Application form. Military and other persons residing outside of the United States should contact the Federal Voting Assistance Program for registration information.

Individuals can apply for voter registration or update their voter registration data by mail or in-person at any voter registration site.

Completing the registration application

To improve your chances of successful registration, you should do the following:

	complete all information blocks on the application. If any information requested does not apply to you, indicate such by writing the word "NONE" or "NA" in that space
	sign and date the registration application
	file your completed application either by mailing to the pre-printed addressed or delivering it to a local registration office

Failure to complete the form properly could result in your registration being delayed or denied. Virginia's voter registration application form requires the applicant to provide his/her full name, including the maiden name and any other prior legal name; age; gender; date and place of birth; social security number, if any; whether the person is presently a United States citizen; resident address of place of abode and date of residence in the precinct; place of last previous registration to vote; whether you have ever been adjudicated to be mentally incompetent or convicted of a felony and, if so, under what circumstance your right to vote has been restored. Also, unless physically or educationally unable, you must sign the application. Note that you must provide your social security number, if any, when applying to register to vote in Virginia. Therefore, if you do not provide your social security number, your application for voter registration will be denied. State and local voting officials will use your social security number as a unique identifier to insure that no person is registered in more than one place. Records containing your social security number will not be open to inspection by the public. Your social security number will appear on reports produced only for official use by voter registration and election officials, and for jury selection purposes by courts. In providing your place of abode, keep in mind that a place of abode is a physical place in which you live. Property on which there is no dwelling does not qualify. A business address does not qualify unless you have living quarters there and live in no other place. You may have many physical places in which you live but only one of them may be your domicile. A new domicile is not attained until the old one
has been abandoned.

Registration Deadlines

Election Types	Registration Deadlines
Code of Virginia §§ 24.2-416
General	29 Days before election
Primary	29 Days before election
Special	13 Days before election
Special (Called by the Governor)	7 Days before election

UP COMING REGISTRATION DEADLINE

Exceptions to Voter Registration Deadlines

Individuals who apply for voter registration when books are closed are not eligible to vote in the election for which the books are closed, with the limited exceptions noted below.

Exceptions (Code of Virginia §§ 24.2-419 and 24.2-420.1)

The following persons are entitled to register by absentee application (i.e., the Federal Post Card Application) after the books have closed if they are eligible to be registered and if, by reason of active duty or employment, they are normally absent from the city or county in which they reside:

Any member of a uniformed service of the United States, as defined in 42 U.S.C.
§ 1973ff-6 (7), who is on active duty.

Any member of the merchant marine of the United States.

Any spouse or dependent residing with a person listed above.

However, the normal deadlines for absentee ballot applications apply to these persons, and the voted ballot must be received by the Electoral Board by 7:00 PM on Election Day or it cannot be counted.

The following persons may register in person at their local voter registration office up to and including the day of the election, IF these persons, who are otherwise qualified to register, by reason of active duty or employment, either

are normally absent from the city or county in which they reside, OR

have been absent from such city or county and returned to reside there during the twenty-eight days immediately preceding the election:

Any member of a uniformed service of the United States, as defined in 42 U.S.C.
§ 1973ff-6 (7), who is on active duty

Any member of the merchant marine of the United States

Any person who resides temporarily outside of the United States by virtue of his
employment

Any spouse or dependent residing with a person above

Any person who was on active duty as a member of a uniformed service of the United States and was discharged from the uniformed service during the sixty days immediately preceding the election, and his spouse or dependent, shall be entitled to register, if otherwise qualified, in person at the local voter registration office up to and including the day of the election.

Where To Send The Application

The Voter Registration Application is pre-addressed and can be mailed via the U.S. postal service or hand-delivered to any official registration office (ie: your local registration office). Telephone numbers and addresses of the local registration office can be found in the phone book under the local government section.

If mailed, the application must be postmarked no later than the deadline.

If delivered in person, either by the applicant or a third party, the application must be received by the deadline.

Applications postmarked or received after the deadline will be held and processed after the election.

For questions concerning completing the application and voting on election day, call your local registration office.

For other questions contact Virginia State Board of Elections.

Changing Your Name or Address

To remain a qualified registered voter, the law requires you to notify your local registration office of any change in your name or address. This must be done before the registration books close for the next election. Changes cannot be made during the 28 day period before any general or primary election and during the 12 day period before a special election.

Persons Moving From Precinct

If you moved your residence from one precinct to another within the Commonwealth, you may vote in the precinct from which you have moved in the following November general election and any intervening election unless your registration has been transferred or cancelled. You may continue to vote in the precinct from which you have moved, for federal offices only, through the second general and intervening elections for federal office, provided that (i) you have moved your residence from one precinct to another in the same jurisdiction and the same congressional district; (ii) you have failed to respond to the confirmation of address notice mailed to you by the State Board of Elections or your local registration office (as provided in § 24.2-428 of the Code of Virginia); (iii) your registration has not been transferred or cancelled; and (iv) you have affirmed orally or in writing your new address before an officer of election at the polling place.

Persons moving from the state within 30 days of a presidential election are entitled to vote in the precinct in which they were previously registered (immediately prior to moving) for presidential electors only. You must mark your absentee ballot application with the words "APPLY FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION ONLY" and indicate the date you moved from the precinct. If returning to your old precinct to vote in person, you must tell the election official, before voting, that you have moved out of state within the 30 days prior to the election. Whether voting by absentee ballot or in person, you will only be given the ballot for presidential and vice-presidential electors.

How Will A Person Know If The Registration Was Accepted

Your local registration office will determine your registration eligibility. You are not registered until your application is approved by your local registration office. If your registration is accepted, a Voter Registration Card will be mailed to you. The Voter Registration Card will provide the location where you vote and the districts assigned to your representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives (CONG), the Senate (SEN) of Virginia and House of Delegates (HSE) of Virginia.

The Voter Registration Card will also provide personal information that must be checked by you for accuracy. You will be required to present your Voter Registration Card or another proper Identification (ID) to vote.

How Will A Person Know If The Registration Was Denied

You will be notified if your application is not accepted for any reason. Any applicant who does not receive either a voter registration card or denial notice by the registration deadline should contact their local registrar's office.

Please note, however, that processing of an application can take up to three weeks.

Appeal Of Person Denied Registration

If you wish to challenge your denial of your voter registration, you may do so by completing and filing a Petition For Appeal of Denial of Virginia Voter Registration form with the circuit court of your locality.

On-Line Version of the Federal Post Card Application

ATTENTION: MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS

Virginia now accepts the On-Line Version of the Federal Post Card Application (OFPCA) as an alternative to the cardstock Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) for eligible military and overseas voters. If you do not have access to a cardstock FPCA, you may complete the form on-line, print it, sign it and mail it to your local registration official. Or, you can print the blank form, complete it (PLEASE PRINT OR TYPE), sign it and mail it. Unlike the cardstock FPCA, the on-line form must be put in an envelope and mailed at your own expense. There are presently no provisions for submission of the FPCA through the internet.

The Virginia section of the Federal Voting Assistance Guide also contains the various deadlines for registration and voting in Virginia. Please check these instructions carefully, as deadlines vary depending on your circumstances. For example, for most overseas civilians, the application must be received by your local election official no later than 29 days prior to the election.

Virginia allows you to send the FPCA by fax. After faxing, submit the FPCA by mail. See Section D (Electronic Transmission of FPCAs) of the Virginia section of the Federal Voting Assistance Guide , and Appendix C of the Voting Assistance Guide for more details.

Virginia does not allow you to receive the blank ballot by fax or to return the voted ballot by fax.

All voted ballots must be received by the election officials by election day to be counted.

The Online Federal Post Card Application and Instructions are available here.

You can visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program's website here.

Temporary Registration

Overseas citizens who no longer have a place of domicile and abode in Virginia (and who are therefore not eligible for permanent registration) may be eligible for temporary registration for federal elections only, or for all elections.

How To Apply for Temporary Registration

You should apply by using the:

Federal Post Card Application

You must apply separately for each election (i.e., June primary election, November general election or other federal election) in which you would like to vote.

When Temporary Registration Permitted

The application must be RECEIVED by your local registration office:

No earlier than six months in advance of the Presidential Election; and

No later than twenty-nine days prior to the Presidential Election.

The application may be returned in person, by mail or by fax. However, if you fax the form you must then mail the original to the same local registration office.

FEDERAL ELECTIONS

To Be Eligible To Register:

you must reside outside the United States (that is, outside the
fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam,
American Samoa or the Virgin Islands);

you must be a United States citizen you will be eighteen years old by the day of the
Federal Elections (the federal elections includes any general, special, or primary election
for President, Vice-President, presidential electors, or a member of the United States
Senate or House of Representatives)

you state whether you hold either a valid United States passport or card of
identity and registration issued under the authority of the Secretary of State of
the United States

you do not maintain a domicile and are not registered to vote in any other state,
territory or possession of the United States, or in any place in Virginia other
than the county or city to which application is made your LAST place of abode
and domicile immediately prior to departure from the United States was in the
Virginia county or city to which application is made.

NOTE: this means you do NOT now have domicile and place of abode in Virginia.

All Elections (Federal, State and Local)

To Be Eligible To Register:

you must meet all the qualifications for temporary registration for federal elections
(listed above)

you must reside outside the United States by virtue of your employment, or be an accompanying spouse or dependent; (NOTE: Students temporarily residing overseas by reason of
enrollment in a regular, organized course of study are deemed to have employment.)

you must have moved overseas, or have given up your Virginia place of abode, on or
after July 1, 1999

you were registered to vote in Virginia at the last place where you lived before moving overseas

if an accompanying spouse or dependent of an overseas employee, you and the overseas employee were both registered to vote in Virginia at the last place where you lived before moving overseas

Understanding The Act Of Applying For Voter Registration

You may be brought to a registration site by someone who attempts to provide all the information needed for the application.

Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution of Virginia requires that the application "...shall be completed by or at the direction of the applicant..."
At the time of applying, you should have sufficient share of understanding: (i) to appreciate
the nature and obligation of the statement to be signed; (ii) to discern between right and
wrong; and (iii) to provide or at least verify the accuracy of the information required by law.

If, in the registrar's judgment, you do not meet this criteria, your application will be denied and you will be given in writing the reason for denial and an explanation of the appeal process.

To knowingly give untrue information on any voter registration document is a felony under Virginia law. The punishment is a maximum fine of $2,500 and/or confinement for up to ten years. Also, you lose your right to vote.

Virginia State Board of Elections
Suite 101, 200 North 9th Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219-3485
Telephone: 804 864-8901 Toll Free: 800 552-9745 Fax: 804 371-0194
Comments to the WEB Master Email: webmaster@sbe.virginia.gov