Voting in Virginia
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The policies governing voter participation are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which people cast their ballots in their respective states.
This article includes the following information about voting policies in Virginia:
- Voter registration details, including deadlines and eligibility requirements.
- In-person voting details, including identification requirements, poll times, and early voting provisions.
- Absentee/mail-in voting deadlines and rules.
- Details about voting rules for people convicted of a felony.
- Contact information for election agencies.
Click here for more information about election administration in the state, including voter list maintenance policies, provisional ballot rules, post-election auditing practices, and additional election policy context.
For information on elections happening this year, click here.
Do you have questions about your elections? Looking for information about your local election official? Click here to use U.S. Vote Foundation’s election official lookup tool.
Voter registration
The table below displays voter registration information specific to Virginia's 2025 election cycle.
Eligibility and registration details
- Check your voter registration status here.
To vote in Virginia, one must be a United States citizen, a resident of Virginia, and at least 18 years of age.[1]
Registration can be completed online, in person at a local voter registration office, or by mail. Voters can also register at the following locations:[1]
| “ |
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| —Virginia Department of Elections | ||
The deadline to register is the 11th day before a primary or general election, but a voter may register to voter after this deadline through the state's same-day registration system and vote a provisional ballot.[1][3]
In-person voting
The table below displays in-person voting information specific to Virginia's 2025 election cycle.
Poll times
- See also: State poll opening and closing times
In Virginia, all polls open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[4]
Voter identification
- See also: Voter identification laws by state
According to the Department of Elections website, "All voters casting a ballot in-person will be asked to show one form of identification. Any voter who does not present acceptable identification may instead sign a statement, subject to felony penalties, that they are the named registered voter who they claim to be. Any voter who does not present acceptable identification or sign this statement must vote a provisional ballot."[5][6]
The following documents were considered acceptable identification for voting as of May 2023:[5]
- Virginia driver's license or DMV-issued ID card
- Valid employee ID, containing a photo, issued by the voter's employer in ordinary course of business
- U.S. military ID
- Valid student ID, containing a photo, issued by any public or private school college, or university
- Valid student ID issued by a public or private school high school, college, or university in Virginia (with or without a photo)
- Valid U.S. passport or passport card
- ID card issued by the federal government or a Virginia state or local authority.
- Voter ID card issued by the department of elections
- Voter confirmation documents
- Valid tribal enrollment or ID issued by one of the 11 tribes recognized in Virginia
- Government nursing home resident ID
- Any other current government document containing the name and address of the voter
- Signed ID Confirmation Statement
Early voting
- See also: Early voting
Virginia permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website. Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.
Absentee/mail-in voting
- See also: Absentee/mail-in voting
The table below displays absentee voting information specific to Virginia's 2025 election cycle.
All Virginia voters are eligible to vote absentee/by mail. There are no special requirements to be eligible to vote absentee/by mail. Voters may request an absentee ballot online or complete a paper absentee ballot request form and return it to their local voter registration office by mail, fax, or email. Applications must be received by 5 p.m. at least 11 days before Election Day.[7][8]
Completed ballots must be returned to the local registrar's office or an official drop off location by 7 p.m. on Election Day. If mailed, completed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received within three days of the election in order to be counted.[7]
On April 12, 2020, Governor Ralph Northam (D) signed HB1 and SB111 into law, establishing no-excuse absentee voting 45 days prior to an election. The legislation was in effect for the November 3, 2020 election.[9]
On the same day, Northam also signed HB238 and SB455, providing for absentee ballots postmarked on or before the date of an election to be counted if received by noon on the third day after the election.[9]
Local election officials
Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool. |
Voting rules for people convicted of a felony
According to Virginia's constitution, people convicted of a felony lose their civil rights, including their right to vote, regaining them only with a pardon from the governor or another appropriate authority on an individual basis.
To restore their voting rights, individuals may apply for restoration of their civil rights from the governor in the manner established by the contemporaneous administration. The Department of Corrections must provide information on these procedures–click here for more information. People convicted of a felony may also petition the courts for a restoration of their civil rights. To learn more about this process, click here.[10]
Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[11]
Election administration agencies
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Virginia can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Virginia Local Voter Registration Offices
Virginia Department of Elections
- Washington Building
- 1100 Bank Street, First Floor
- Richmond, Virginia 23219
- Phone: 804-864-8901
- Toll free: 800-552-9745
- Fax: 804-371-0194
- Email: info@elections.virginia.gov
- Website: https://www.elections.virginia.gov
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- 633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
- Washington, DC 20001
- Phone: 301-563-3919
- Toll free: 1-866-747-1471
- Email: clearinghouse@eac.gov
- Website: https://www.eac.gov
Explore election legislation with Ballotpedia
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See also
- State of Election Administration Legislation Reports
- Voter ID in Virginia
- Election administration in Virginia
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Virginia
Elections in Virginia
- Virginia elections, 2025
- Virginia elections, 2024
- Virginia elections, 2023
- Virginia elections, 2022
- Virginia elections, 2021
- Virginia elections, 2020
- Virginia elections, 2019
- Virginia elections, 2018
- Virginia elections, 2017
- Virginia elections, 2016
- Virginia elections, 2015
- Virginia elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Virginia Department of Elections, "How to Register," accessed May 3, 2023
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Same-Day Voter Registration," accessed May 12, 2025
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Election and Voter FAQ," accessed May 3, 2023
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Voter identification, "Voting on Election Day," accessed May 3, 2023
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Voting on Election Day," accessed May 3, 2023
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Virginia Department of Elections, "Absentee and Early Voting," accessed October 4, 2024
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Virginia Absentee Ballot Application Form,"accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Office of the Governor of Virginia, "Governor Northam Signs Sweeping New Laws to Expand Access to Voting," April 12, 2020
- ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth, "Restoration of Rights," accessed May 3, 2023
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," April 6, 2023
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