Virginia Voter Registration: A Comprehensive Guide

To be eligible to register to vote in Virginia, you must:

• Be a resident of Virginia (a person who comes to Virginia for a temporary purpose and intends to return to another state is not considered a resident for voting purposes).
• Be a citizen of the United States.
• Be 18 years old (any person who is 17 years old and will be eighteen years of age by the next general election shall be permitted to pre-register and shall also be permitted to vote in any primary or special election).
• Not be registered and plan to vote in another state.
• Not currently be declared mentally incapacitated by a court of law.
• If convicted of a felony, your right to vote must have been restored.

Eligible individuals may obtain a registration application at any of the following locations:

• Register online (link to online registration website).
• Local voter registration office (link to voter registration office locator website).
• Download a PDF copy of the application form (link to form in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Korean).
• State or local government offices when applying for or recertifying for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, or Rehabilitation Services.
• State government offices in the Commonwealth that provide State-funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities.
• Armed forces recruitment offices.
• Public libraries.
• Virginia Department of Elections offices.
• Department of Motor Vehicles offices.
• Voter registration drives.

Completed applications may be submitted to the local registrar or mailed to the address printed on the form. Applications may be submitted using either the Virginia Voter Registration Application form or the National Voter Registration Application form. Military personnel and others residing outside the United States should contact the Federal Voting Assistance Program for registration information.

After you have submitted your application, you will receive a voter information card or other correspondence confirming your registration status. If you do not receive it, contact your local Registrar’s Office to ensure that your application was processed. You can also check your voter record online (link to voter record check website). Please note that the voter information card or other correspondence confirming your voter registration status does not qualify as photo identification. For information on acceptable photo identification for voting in person or how to apply for a Photo Voter Identification Card, please visit: (link to website on photo ID for voters) or call toll-free (800) 552-9745 or TTY: 711.

Note: Voter registration deadlines also apply to updating your voter registration address. Generally, the deadline to register is three weeks before a general election and is shorter for special elections to fill vacancies. If your address change is not received by the general registrar by the deadline applicable to the election in which you wish to vote, you may not be able to vote. Please notify the general registrar of address changes promptly.

Increase your chances of successful registration:

• Completely fill out all information fields on the application. If any information requested does not apply to you, clearly indicate this by writing the word “NONE” or “N/A” in that space.
• Sign and date the application.
• Submit your completed application by mailing it to the appropriate address or delivering it to your local registrar’s office. Mailing addresses for General Registrars can be found using our lookup tool (link to lookup tool).

Failure to properly complete the form may result in your registration being delayed or rejected. Be advised that you are required to provide your Social Security Number, if you have one, when registering to vote in Virginia. Therefore, failure to provide your Social Security Number will result in your voter registration application being rejected. State and local election officials will use your Social Security Number as a unique identifier to ensure that no one is registered in more than one place. Records containing your Social Security Number will not be open to public inspection. Your Social Security Number will appear on reports compiled only for official use by voter registration and election officials, and for jury selection purposes by the courts.

Where to Submit Your Completed Application

Voter registration applications may be mailed via the U.S. Postal Service or delivered in person to any official registrar’s office (link to lookup tool).

• 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 before the close of business on the deadline. On the last day of registration for an election, all general registrar offices close at 5:00 p.m.
• Applications postmarked or received after the deadline will be held and processed after the election.
• For questions related to completing the application and voting on Election Day, call your local registrar’s office.
• Check your voter registration record online (link to voter record check website).
• For other questions, contact the Virginia Department of Elections (link to contact website).