Voting In Virginia

To be eligible to vote in Virgina, you must 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)
• A U.S. Citizen
• 18 years old (Any person who is 17 years old and will be 18 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)
• Not claiming the right to vote in any other state
• Not currently be declared mentally incompetent by a court of law
• Not a convicted felon, or have had your right to vote restored

When submitting your voter registration by mail for the first time, you must provide your Social Security number on the application and a copy of following with your application:

• A valid photo identification
• A copy of a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address
• another government document that shows your name and address (for example a voter card)

Photo ID is not required to vote at the polls, but some form of identification is required. If you do not provide an ID, you must sign the "Affirmation of Identity" statement before voting.

NOTE: If you have registered by mail for the first time in Virginia on or after January 1, 2003, you are not eligible to sign the "Affirmation of Identity" statement. If you cannot provide one of the federally required forms of ID, you must vote by provisional ballot.

Acceptable forms of ID include:

The registration deadline to vote in the general election is 29 days before the election. If there is a special election the registration deadline is 13 days before the election and if the Governor calls an election the deadline is 7 days.

You are eligible for absentee voting if you:

• In the regular and orderly course of your business, profession, or occupation or while on personal business or vacation, will be absent from the county or city in which you are entitled to vote.
• Are a student attending a school or institution of learning, or a student's spouse, who will be absent on the day of election from the county or city in which you are entitled to vote.
• Are unable to go in person to the polls on the day of election because of a physical disability or physical illness.
• Are 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. If you are awaiting trial and are a resident of the county or city where you are confined, you may be taken to the polls to vote on election day if your trial date is postponed and you did not have an opportunity to vote absentee.
• Are a member of an electoral board, registrar, an officer of election, or custodian of voting equipment.
• Are registered but unable to go in person to the polls on the day of the election because you are primarily and personally responsible for the care of an ill or disabled family member who is confined at home.
• Are a 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 your religion.
• Will be at your place of work and commuting to and from your home to your place of work for 11 or more hours of the 13 that the polls are open (6:00 am to 7:00 pm).

You may request a mail ballot for presidential and vice-presidential electors only by writing across the top of your absentee application "request ballot for presidential electors only." If you vote a "presidential only" ballot, you may not later decide to vote the rest of the ballot. The same procedures and deadlines apply as for other absentee applications and ballots.

Note: If you are a new registrant who submitted your voter registration applications by mail, you must vote in person (either in-person absentee or at the polls on Election Day) unless you are a full time college student, absent active duty military member, residing overseas, physically handicapped, age 65 or over (however, an additional reason must also be given, as age itself does not qualify a voter for absentee voting), or voting a "presidential only" ballot. If you have a question about whether you qualify to vote absentee, or how to apply, you should contact your local elections office.

How to Vote Absentee

You can contact your local voter registration office to request an absentee ballot application. You can either return the completed application to your local voter registration office by mail or fax. To receive a ballot by mail, your absentee ballot application must be received in your local voter registration office by Tuesday before the general election. If you send it by fax the original must also be mailed and received by registrar before returned ballot is requested on Election Day. Alternatively, you can download the Virginia absentee ballot application (pdf format) at your state's website. You must complete a separate absentee ballot application for each election in which you intend to vote absentee. Last Day to apply for absentee ballots is October 28, 2008.

Important Notice:
If you have any questions or should require individual assistance, please do not hesitate to contact Vickie R. Williams by phone at 804-864-8932 or via email at vickie.williams@sbe.virginia.gov. You can also check the status of your absentee ballot with the Absentee Ballot Status Look Up tool.

In-person absentee voting is available but an excuse is required. Please contact your local voter registration office. to be certain of the specifc in-person absentee ballot requirements. The electoral board will usually make ballots available for absentee voting 45 days prior to Election Day and 3 days before Election Day.

The next election will be on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 (Monday, April 12, 2010: Registration Deadline). The following elections will take place in 2010:

Please utilize your state's resource for information on special elections in your town.

In order to be a poll worker in Virginia:

• You must be registered to vote in Virginia
• You will be entitled to compensation
• You must be at least 18 years of age
• Political affiliation generally required
• You must complete required training.

To sign up, contact your local board of elections.

Polls are open from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Time off to vote is subject to the employer. Virginia state law does not require employers to grant time off to vote for employees.

You can find your polling place by utilizing VOTE411's poll locator tool. Some states and local jurisdictions provide their own poll locators. You can confirm your voting location by selecting from the following local resources: Virginia.

A provisional ballot is a paper ballot cast separately and sealed in a green envelope. An election official will assist you with completing the information on both sides of the envelope. You must provide the information requested and sign the Statement of Voter. Provisional ballots are not counted on Election Day. Your local electoral board will meet the day after the election to determine whether each provisional voter was qualified to vote. The votes of qualified voters will then be counted and included in the results for your locality. Provisional voters are allowed to be present when the electoral board meets to determine if their vote was valid. The election officials will tell each provisional voter when and where the electoral board will meet, and provide a phone number to call to find out if their provisional ballot was counted.

Provisional Ballots are used:

• When your name is not on the pollbook, you believe you are registered in that precinct, and the registrar's office cannot be contacted to verify that you are registered. If you choose to vote a provisional ballot because you are at the wrong polling place and are unable or unwilling to go to the correct polling place, your vote will not be counted.
• If you registered by mail on or after January 1, 2003, did not mail in a copy of your ID at that time, and fail to show one of the federally required forms of ID when voting for the first time in a federal election.
• When the normal voting hours are extended by court order.

The voting machine systems used in Virginia are optical scan, DRE (in Waynesboro), lever (these machines are being replaced), punch card (these machines are being replaced) and hand counted paper ballots.

Optical Scan: With this system, you will receive a card or sheet of paper, which you take over to a private table or booth. The card has the names of the various candidates and ballot measures printed on it. With a pen or pencil you fill in a little box or circle or the space between two arrows. When you are finished filling out all the cards, you may bring the cards over to a ballot box, where poll workers will show you how to put the cards in the box. Or in some places, you may feed the completed cards or papers into a computer device that checks your card or paper right there at the polling place to make sure you have voted the way you want to and counts the votes.

Direct Recording Electronic (DRE): This is the newest kind of system in use in the U.S. All the information about who and what you are voting for is on an electronic screen like a TV or computer screen.

There are many variations of DREs because lots of companies are inventing new ones, and many cities, counties and states are trying them out. Usually, after you have signed in, the poll workers will give you a card that you slide into a device to start your voting session.

Some of these devices will show all of the candidates and ballot choices on one big screen. Often, with these big screen devices you push a button next to the name of the candidate you want to vote for (or yes or no on a ballot measure). On other DREs, the screen is set up to show “pages.” On each screen or page, there will probably be one thing to vote on. For example, on one screen or page, you might vote for president. Then you might move to the next page to vote for senator. Often these small-screen devices have a “touch screen,” where you touch the screen next to the name of the person you want to vote for. Other devices have a key pad. And some have a keyboard, so you can write in the name of someone you want to vote for.

You let the system know you are finished voting by pushing a button, touching the screen or entering something on a keypad.

Paper Ballots: Paper ballots are one of the oldest ways of voting in America. They are still used in a few places on Election Day. When you come to the polling place, you will get a paper ballot from the poll worker. You take it to the voting booth, and use a pen or pencil to mark a box next to your candidate and issue choices. You then drop the marked ballot into a sealed ballot box.

Information on local, state and federal candidates and ballot measures is available here.

Any person, regardless disability status, has the right to register to vote at any office or agency that provides such a service. These offices include but are not limited to: Department of Health (VDH), Department of Social Services (DSS), Department of Mental Health (DMHRSAR), Department for Rehabilitation Services (DRS), Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH), and the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI).

Your local registrar's office also has registration forms and should be able to accommodate any special needs. In addition, you can download a voter registration form from the state board of elections website.

• Curbside voting is still available for people ages 65 and older, or any person with a disability. With the implementation of HAVA (Help America Vote Act), curbside voters may now be able to vote on an electronic voting device in lieu of a paper ballot. However, some cities continue to use paper ballots. To vote curbside you must ask your driver or other individual to inform the election officers that there is a person that wishes to vote curbside. The necessary equipment will then be brought to you in your vehicle. You shall be afforded every opportunity to vote in a private and independent fashion, but voting equipment must remain in the view of the election officers.
• You have the right to have an election officer or other person help you vote if you are physically disabled, unable to read or unable to write. Blind voters may also have any person assist them.
• You may have anyone who is not your employer or union representative assist you. The officer of election or other person so designated who helps you prepare your ballot shall do so in accordance with your instructions, without soliciting your vote or in any manner attempting to influence your vote, and shall not in any manner divulge or indicate, by signs or otherwise, how you voted on any office or question. For individuals with vision impairments the state board of elections works to provide large print copies of all voting related material. Your local registrar's office should have large print versions of all materials in circulation at this time.
• In accordance with the Help America Vote Act, Virginia is in the process of making all of its polling places fully accessible to elderly voters and voters with disabilities. If you find that your polling place is not accessible for any reason please fill out the voter accessibility feedback form. The state board of elections is dedicated to providing the best voting experience possible, and will value your input and will keep any remarks confidential.
• In accordance with the Help America Vote Act, every polling location in Virginia must be equipped with at least one accessible voting system that will allow all voters with a disability to vote the same private and independent manner as a voter without a disability. If you require voting assistance due to a physical disability or inability to read or write, you can receive it upon request. Any of the election officers can advise you of your rights in this area. If you have cognitive disabilities, due to any reason, you can be eligible to vote if you are not currently ruled to be mentally incompetent by a court of law.

For information on federal campaign contributions, please visit Open Secrets.