Virginia allows voters to cast in-person absentee ballots or to request that one be sent by mail or electronic means.
If you register to vote in person, you must wait five business days before your absentee ballot application can be processed. The deadline for
requesting a mailed absentee ballot is the Tuesday before the election. The deadline for applying and voting absentee in the Registrar’s office is the Saturday before the election. Late Absentee Voting, up to 2:00 p.m. on the Monday before the election, is permitted for those recently ospitalized and persons with certain other emergencies. Call your Voter Registrar if you 5have an emergency and will not be able to go to the polls, to
determine if you are eligible for a late absentee ballot. Regardless of when or how you apply for your absentee ballot, your voted, signed and witnessed absentee ballot must be received by your Electoral Board by Election Day, or it cannot be counted.
In 2012 changes were made to Virginia’s voter identification laws. Virginia voters are reminded that state law requires all voters to provide an acceptable form of identification (ID) at the polls. Voters arriving to the polls without ID will be required to vote a provisional ballot and will have until noon on the Friday after the election to deliver a copy of identification to their locality’s electoral board in order for their provisional ballot to be counted. Please see below in “Provisional Ballot Process for Voters Who Arrive Without Identification” for more information on how the provisional ballot process will work for those arriving to the polls without ID.
