Voting, Step By Step
Va. Code 24.2-416 — registration closed during the 10 days before a primary or general election
The 10 days. The registration records are closed for registering voters on election day and during the 10 days before a primary or general election.
The identification. At the polls, the officer asks for the voter's name and address and for one of the listed forms: voter confirmation documents; a valid Virginia driver's license, passport, or other government identification; a valid student or employee identification card as the section describes; or a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or government document with the voter's name and address.
The license date. The expiration date on a Virginia driver's license is not considered when determining its validity for this purpose.
Without it. Except as the section provides, a voter who does not show one of those forms is allowed to vote after signing a statement, subject to felony penalties for false statements, that the voter is the named registered voter.
Absentee and early voting, and what a provisional ballot needs in order to be counted, are set out in other sections that are not on this page. Whether a particular person is registered is a question for the local election office.
Sources for this section (2)
- Va. Code 24.2-416 — Registration records closed before elections
- Va. Code 24.2-643 — Procedures at the polling place, and voter identification
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Virginia attorney.