Voter Registration in Virginia

To be eligible to register to vote in Virginia, you must meet the following requirements:

• Be a resident of Virginia (persons who come to Virginia for temporary purposes and intend to return to another state are not considered residents 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 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 incapacitated by a court.
• If convicted of a felony, your right to vote must be 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 Virginia voter registration office lookup website).
• Download a PDF copy of the registration form (link to registration form in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Korean).
• State or local government offices when applying or recertifying for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, or Rehabilitation Services.
• Offices of 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 office.
• Department of Motor Vehicles office.
• Voter registration drives.

The completed application may be submitted to the local registrar or mailed to the address printed on the form. Applications can be submitted using the Virginia Voter Registration Application form or the National Mail Voter Registration 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 registration 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 about acceptable photo identification for voting in person or how to obtain a Voter Photo ID Card, please visit: elections.virginia.gov/voterID (link to website) or call toll-free at (800) 552-9745 or TTY: 711.

Note: Voter registration deadlines also apply to updating your voter registration address. Generally, the registration deadline is three weeks before a general election and is shorter for special elections to fill vacancies. If your change of address is not received by the general registrar prior to the applicable deadline for 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:

• Complete all information blocks on the application. If any information requested does not apply to you, 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 proper address or delivering it to your local registrar’s office. The mailing address for the General Registrar can be found by using our lookup tool (link to General Registrar lookup tool).

Failure to properly complete the form may result in your registration being delayed or denied. Note that you are required to provide your Social Security Number, if one has been issued to you, when registering to vote in Virginia. Accordingly, failure to provide your Social Security Number will result in your voter registration application being denied. State and local election officials will use your Social Security Number as a unique identifier to ensure that no individual is registered in more than one location. Records containing your Social Security Number will not be open to public inspection. Your Social Security Number will only appear on reports compiled 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 registration office (link to General Registrar lookup tool).

• If mailed, the application must be postmarked no later than the deadline.
• If delivered in person, 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 regarding completing the application and voting on Election Day, call your local registrar’s office.
• Check your voter registration record online (link to voter registration record check website).
• For other questions, contact the Virginia Department of Elections (link to Virginia Department of Elections contact website).