Virginia voters have until 11:59 p.m. tonight to register to vote

The deadline to register to vote in Virginia is tonight (Tuesday) at 11:59 p.m. for online applications, and 5 p.m. for in-person voters.

Voters can register online, here. 

The Nov. 5, 2019 state legislature election is considered a litmus test for the 2020 presidential election and has garnered national money and attention. For the first time since 2015, all 140 seats of the Virginia General Assembly are on the ballot. Republicans are defending narrow majorities in each chamber while Democrats are looking to expand on record gains they made in the House in 2018, during the first blue wave.

If Democrats can flip two seats in the state House and Senate, they would win majorities in the state legislature for the first time since the 1990s. That would give the party the power to enact new restrictions on guns, protect the state’s expansion of Medicaid, roll back restrictions on reproductive rights, and reverse Republican gerrymandering and redraw electoral districts for the legislature and Congress for the next decade.

Am I eligible?

To register to vote in Virginia, you must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of Virginia, at least 18 years old by the next general election, have had voting rights restored if convicted of a felony, and have had capacity restored by court order if declared mentally incapacitated.

The Virginia Department of Elections has a Citizen Portal where you can update your registration, apply to vote absentee, and view your polling place and election district. You can also check your absentee ballot status and voting history.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 29 and the deadline to vote in-person absentee is Nov. 2.

On Election Day, Nov. 5, polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

Check out the Dogwood’s voter guide for more information on how to vote in this year’s election.

Correction: A previous version of this article stated that the deadline to register is 7 p.m. The deadline is 11:59 p.m.