When Are the Polls Open?
The polls open at 6:00
a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m.
If you are in line
when the polls close, you can still vote.
Must I Show Identification?
All voters must either show ID or sign an
Affirmation of Identity form when offering to vote on
Election Day.
The following forms of identification will be accepted:
Virginia voter registration card; social security card; valid
Virginia driver's license; identification card issued by a
local, state, or federal government agency; or an
identification card with a photograph of the voter issued by
voter's employer. If a voter cannot present
identification, he may still vote if he signs a statement,
subject to felony penalties, that he is the named registered
voter he claims to be.
Code
of Virginia Sections 24.2-643 and 24.2-651.1 amended
Enacted
July 1, 2000.
The Help America
Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) includes very specific ID requirements for voters who
register BY MAIL for the first time in the state. HAVA requires that, for
FEDERAL elections held on or after January 1, 2004, voters who register BY MAIL
on or after January 1, 2003, for the first time in the state, must either:
- mail a copy of one of the federally-specified IDs (a
current and valid photo identification, or a copy of a current utility bill,
bank statement, government check, paycheck or another document that shows
the name and address of the voter)
- show such ID the first time they vote in
person (either at the polls or in-person absentee) in a FEDERAL election, or
- send a copy of such ID with their voted
absentee ballot the first time they vote in a FEDERAL election other than in
person.
Voters who are required to and fail to show an ID meeting the federal
requirements under HAVA will be offered a provisional ballot in that one
election.
The following Absentee by Mail voters are exempt from the requirement to mail in
a copy of their ID with their absentee ballot the first time they vote in a
federal election in the state:
- uniformed military voters and their
spouses/dependents residing with them;
- overseas voters;
- physically disabled or ill voters and
those age 65 or over;
- absentee voters who specifically request
the ballot for Presidential Elections only.
(This exemption is not
applicable to any presidential primary or to voters who vote the
presidential-only ballot because they have recently moved out of the sate.)
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