Virginia Voter Registration Requirements

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 on or before 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 be declared mentally incapacitated by a court.
• If convicted of a felony, your right to vote must have been restored.

You can obtain a voter registration application at the following locations:

• Register online.
• Local voter registration office.
• Download a PDF copy of the application form (available 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.
• Mobile voter registration drives.

The completed application may be filed at the local registrar’s office or mailed to the address printed on the form. You may use the Virginia Voter Registration Application or the National Voter Registration Application. Military personnel and those residing outside the United States should contact the Federal Voting Assistance Program for registration information.

After submitting your application, you will receive an acknowledgement 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 may also check your voter record online. Note that the acknowledgment card or correspondence confirming your voter registration status does not qualify as a photo identification document.

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

To increase the likelihood of successful registration:

• Completely fill out all information fields 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.

Failure to properly complete the form may result in your registration being delayed or rejected. Note that you must provide your Social Security Number, if you have one, when registering to vote in Virginia. Accordingly, if you fail to provide your Social Security number, your voter registration application will be rejected. Your Social Security number will appear on reports compiled solely for official use by voter registration and election officials, and for court jury selection purposes.

Voter registration applications may be mailed through the U.S. Postal Service or delivered in person to any official registration office. If mailed, the application must be postmarked no later than the deadline. If delivered in person, the application must be received before the deadline. On the last day of registration for an election, all general registrar offices close at 5:00 p.m. For questions regarding completing the application and voting on Election Day, call your local registrar’s office.