Absentee Voting

Absentee Voting

Can I vote absentee?

You can vote absentee in Virginia if you are a registered voter in Virginia and:

You are a student or student's spouse at an out-of-town school, or
You plan to be out of town for business or vacation on election day, or
You cannot go to the polls because of physical illness or disability, or
You cannot go to the polls because you are the person responsible for the care of a sick or disabled family member unable to leave home, or
You are confined to a penal institution for a reasons other than a felony conviction, or
You are an electoral board member, a registrar, an officer of election, or a custodian of voting equipment, or
You are on active duty as a member of a U.S. uniformed service or the U.S. Merchant Marines, or the spouse or dependent residing with such an active duty member, or
You are regularly employed in a business, profession, or occupation outside the continental limits of the United States, or you are the spouse or dependent residing with a person so employed.

How do I get the absentee ballot?

Call, write, or stop by any voter registrar's office in Virginia and ask for an absentee ballot application,

or click here to download the form (requires the free

When can I apply for an absentee ballot?

You can apply as early as 10 months before an election. If you apply by mail or fax, the registrar must receive your application by the Thursday before the election. If you apply in person at the registrar's office, you must complete your application and ballot by 5 p.m. on the Saturday before the election.

How do I vote the ballot?

You will receive instructions with the ballot. Vote the ballot as soon as you receive it and put it in the envelope provided. You may deliver it in person or mail it.

The electoral board must receive your ballot at room 109 in the Municipal North Building by 7pm on election day

If I am put in the hospital shortly before the election, can I vote?

Yes, if you are a registered voter in Virginia and

You are put in the hospital on or after the Thursday before an election, or
You go to the hospital in the two weeks before an election and your condition prevents you from requesting an application sooner than the Thursday before the election.

Call your voter registrar before noon on the day before the election. Ask for an emergency absentee ballot application. You will need someone age 18 or older to pick up the application for you and return it completed.