VOTER INFORMATION FOR THE MARCH 3RD 2020 PRIMARY ELECTION
If you have any questions about voting, call the DPVA Voter Hotline at 844 – 4VA – VOTE (844 – 482 – 8683)
The Democratic Presidential Primary is on March 3, 2020 from 6AM – 7PM.
Voter registration is not party specific and Virginia has open primaries, so you do not need to be a registered Democrat to vote in the March 3rd Primary.
IMPORTANT DATES
- Register to Vote or Update your Voter Information Deadline: Monday, February 10, 2020.
- 5PM in-person
- 11:50PM online
- Absentee Ballot by Mail
- Deadline to request an Absentee Ballot by Mail: Tuesday, February 25, 2020 by 5PM
- Deadline to return an Absentee Mail Ballot: Election Day, March 3, 2020 by 7PM
- Absentee In-Person Voting
- Absentee In-Person Voting begins on Thursday, January 16, 2020 or Friday, January 17, 2020 (see below for more information)
- Last Day for Absentee In-Person Voting: Saturday, February 29, 2020 by 5PM
- Monday through Friday during regular registrar’s office hours and Saturday, February 29, 2020. Some localities have extended hours Monday through Friday or additional Saturday hours.
- Election Day: Tuesday, March 3, 2020 from 6AM to 7PM
REGISTER TO VOTE
- The deadline to register to vote or update your voter information for the March 3, 2019 Election is Tuesday, February 10, 2020.To register to vote:
- You must be a United States citizen
- You must be a resident of Virginia
- You must be 18 years old or older on Election Day. If you are 17 years old and will be 18 by March 3, 2020, you are allowed to register.
- If you are 17 years old and will be 18 by the November 3, 2020 election, you are eligible to vote in the March 3, 2020 primary.
- You must not currently be declared mentally incompetent by a court of law
- If you are convicted of a felony, you must have your rights restored. See the below section on Restoration of Voting Rights for more information.
- To register to vote online, click here.
You can register to vote in person by going to your local registrar and filling out the voter registration application or you can mail your voter registration application to your local registrar. To find your local voter registration office, click here. To download the voter registration application, click here.
You can also register at your local DMV. For a list of places to register to vote, click here.
CHECK OR UPDATE YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION
The deadline to change or update your voter registration is the same deadline as registering to vote, Monday, February 10, 2020. You should check your voter registration information before the deadline to make sure it is up-to-date.
You can check your voter registration information online by clicking here. To update your information, you can:
- Use the online registration portal
- Complete an address change notification provided by the DMV
- Resubmit a completed Virginia Voter Registration Application
Send a letter to your Registrar. For more information about requirements for sending a letter, click here.
PHOTO ID REQUIREMENTS
Virginia voters must show one accepted form of photo identification (photo ID) to vote in person. If you do not have a photo ID, you can get a Free Voter Photo ID.
Accepted photo ID include:
- A Virginia driver’s license or other photo ID issued by the DMV;
- A U.S. passport or passport card;
- A government-issued photo ID from the federal government, Virginia government, or local government within Virginia;
- A tribal enrollment card issued by one of the 11 tribes recognized by Virginia;
- An employee ID card issued in the ordinary course of business;
- A U.S. military ID;
- A student ID issued by a Virginia institute of higher learning or public or private high school;
- A nursing home resident ID, if issued by a government facility;
- A free voter ID card issued by the Department of Elections.
The ID must be genuine, have a photograph of the voter, and cannot be expired for more than 1 year. For a detailed list of accepted IDs, click here.
If you don’t have an ID, you can get a free Voter Photo ID by going to your nearest registrar’s office. To find your nearest registrar’s office, click here. You can go to any registrar’s office in the state, not just in the city or county where you are registered to vote. You can get the free Voter Photo ID even on Election Day but we recommend getting it as early as possible. You will have to complete a Virginia Voter Photo Identification Card Application, have your photo taken and sign a digital pad. To download the application, click here.
VOTING BEFORE ELECTION DAY
If you need to vote before Election Day, Virginia has an Absentee voting program. You may be eligible to vote Absentee By Mail or Absentee In Person if you have a qualifying reason. For a full list of qualifying reasons to vote absentee, click here.
VOTE ABSENTEE BY MAIL
In order to vote Absentee By Mail you have to apply to receive a ballot. You can apply online by clicking here or download an application by clicking here and mail, fax or email it to your local registrar’s office in the city or county that you are registered to vote.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot to be mailed to you is Tuesday, February 25, 2020 by 5PM. The registrar must receive your mailed, faxed or emailed application by 5PM. The online application must be submitted by 5PM.
Your completed ballot must be received by your local registrar’s office by 7PM on Election Day, Tuesday, March 3, 2020.
VOTE ABSENTEE IN PERSON
You can vote Absentee In Person if you have a qualifying reason by going to your local registrar’s office in the city or county that you are registered to vote. For your local registrar’s location and hours, click here.
Absentee In Person Voting begins on Thursday, January 16, 2020 or Friday, January 17, 2020 and ends on Saturday, February 29, 2020 at 5PM. You can go to your local registrar’s office Monday through Friday during their regular office hours and Saturday, February 29. Some localities have Satellite Locations and additional Saturday voting hours.
The localities that begin Absentee In-Person Voting on Friday, January 17th are: Fairfax County, Fairfax City, Falls Church City, Fauquier County, Loudoun County, Manassas City, Manassas Park City, Portsmouth City, Prince William County, Roanoke City, and Winchester City.
For Absentee In Person Voting, you must bring an accepted photo ID to vote. Refer to the above section for more information about accepted photo IDs. If you are not already registered to vote, you have to wait five days after registering before you can be given an absentee ballot.
INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS
If you are a Virginia resident who attends school in-state, but in a different precinct, you can vote in the precinct where you live while attending school only if you change your registration. You can change your registration here.
If you’re a student from Virginia who attends school in another state, you should determine whether you’re a Virginia resident or a resident of the state where you attend school. The important thing to keep in mind is that you may only cast your vote in one state.
VOTING FROM ABROAD
If you, or a U.S. Citizen you know, are voting from abroad, they can register to vote and request an absentee ballot at www.VoteFromAbroad.org. If you have any questions about voting from abroad, you can watch this video or email helpdesk@votefromabroad.org.
VOTING ACCESSIBILITY
If you are concerned about the accessibility of your polling place on Election Day, you can:
- Vote Absentee by Mail. For more information, click here.
- Vote Absentee In Person. For more information, click here.
- Use Curbside Voting, if you are 65 or older or have a physical disability.
If you have a continuing disability or illness, you can apply annually to receive absentee ballots for all elections that year. This application only lasts for one year, so you must apply again every year. For the Annual Absentee Ballot Application, click here.
At each polling location, there will be at least one voting machine accessible to voters with disabilities. Every voter, no matter their ability, should be able to vote in the same private and independent manner.
If you are 65 or older or have a physical disability, you can vote without leaving your vehicle, which is called Curbside Voting. You will need to bring a helper with you to go into the polling place to ask for Curbside Voting. An election officer will bring voting equipment out to your car where you will be able to vote.
If you feel as though you require assistance in reading or completing the forms while voting, you can bring your own helper or you can ask an election official to provide help.
If you have a cognitive disability, you can still register to vote as long as you are not currently ruled to be mentally incompetent by a court of law.
INFORMATION FOR FELONS
Anyone convicted of a felony must have their civil rights, including their right to vote, restored by the Governor. The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Restoration Department runs the rights restoration program. To be eligible for restoration of civil rights, an individual must have a felony conviction and be free from any terms of incarceration and/or supervision resulting from the felony conviction(s). To check the status of your civil rights or request your civil rights restored, click here. For more information, please contact the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office at (804)-692-0104 or click here.
Virginia voter information current as of December 3, 2019.