What you need to know about Virginia’s voter registration deadline

Virginia’s state elections are less than a month away, but some essential voting deadlines are zooming up even sooner.

The deadline to register to vote or update your existing voter registration is Monday, Oct. 16, 2023 (but if you don’t get registered by then, keep reading—there’s another option). If you’ve moved since the last time you voted in Virginia, are new to the state, or recently became old enough to cast a ballot, you’ll need to register to vote or update your registration with your current address.

If you’re unsure of your voter status or not sure if you need to update your registration information, you can find out online. Virginia’s Board of Elections has a convenient internet portal to help you make sure you’re able to cast your ballot on or before Nov. 7.

You can also use the site to apply for a mail-in ballot, but you’ll have more time to do that after your voter registration information is up-to-date.

But if you’re not able to register to vote by Oct. 16, Virginia allows “same-day voter registration.”

As of last year, voters can register and vote simultaneously through Election Day. Through this process, voters will cast a provisional ballot. After a provisional ballot is cast, the local registrar’s office will research whether the voter who cast that ballot is indeed eligible to vote in that locality. 

If the voter’s registration application is approved, the provisional ballot is then counted like a normal ballot. If for some reason the provisional ballot is not counted, the voter will be notified by the general registrar.

Virginia’s key 2023 voting deadlines: 

• The deadline to register to vote or update your existing voter registration is Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. (Voters may register after this date, through Election Day, and vote using a provisional ballot).
• The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. The request must be received by your local voter registration office by 5 p.m.
• Early Saturday voting at your local voter registration office begins Oct. 28, 2023.
• The last day to vote early in-person is Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, by 5 p.m.
• The general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. through 7 p.m.