Voter Registration Drives Guidelines

What can you or your organization do to have a successful drive?

• Plan your drive carefully and well in advance of the voter registration deadline.
  
• Train people so they know who is eligible to vote and how to fill out the voter registration cards correctly.
  
• Make the best use of the applications; for example, simply putting blank applications in mailboxes or inside front doors could waste your time and energy, not to mention a lot of applications. Many of these people may already be registered to vote, or could be ineligible to vote.
  
• Assist an individual if they cannot fill out the application because of limitations. The applicant must personally sign in the blank for "signature".
  
• Distribute voter registration applications anywhere or to anyone who is qualified to vote in Virginia. However, if you want to distribute on private property (i.e., shopping malls or supermarkets) you must first get permission from the property owner or manager.
  
• Allow people to take a voter registration card and turn it in themselves, if that is what they want to do.
  
• For questions concerning completion of the application and voting on election day, call your local registration office or contact the State Board of Elections.
  

What are the 'don'ts' for conducting voter registration drives?

• Don't complete or accept applications for anyone that you know does not exist or is not a real person.
  
• Don't refuse to give an application to anyone who is eligible to vote.
  
  • For example: Your organization is interested in only registering people that are members of a particular political party. You meet someone who wants an application, but you know they are a member of a different political party. You must give that person a voter registration card.
    
• Don't charge anyone for a voter registration card or for helping them to fill out the card.
  
• Don't fill in a voter registration application for another person unless they ask for assistance.
• Don't copy, disclose or make any use of the social security number of the applicant.
  
• Don't give photocopied applications to registrants to fill out. The application to register should only be on a form or forms prescribed by the State Board of Elections.
  
• Don't write, stick or otherwise attach anything to the voter registration application, especially material related to candidates or ballot measures.
  

Who may register to vote?

To be eligible to vote in Virginia, a person:

• Must be a citizen of the United States
  

• Must live in the state of Virginia

  • A person who has come to Virginia for temporary purposes and intends to return to another state is not considered a resident for voting purposes

• Must be at least 18 years old by the date of the next general election

• Must not claim the right to vote in any other state

• Must not currently be in prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony, or judged by a court to be incapacitated; unless your right to vote has been restored by the Governor or a court order has restored you to capacity

When is the deadline to register to vote?

• For a general or primary election, the deadline is 29 days before the election.
  
• For a special election held at a time other than a general election, the deadline is 14 days before the election.
  
• If mailed, the application must be postmarked no later than the deadline.
  
• If delivered in person, either by the applicant or a third party, the application must be received by the deadline.
  
• Applications postmarked or received after the deadline will be held and processed after the election.

What is required on the application?

• All information asked for on the application must be completed. If any information requested on the application does not apply to the voter, they should write "none" in the appropriate space, or check the box labeled "none," as appropriate.
  
• The registrant must sign and date the application.

• Failure to complete the form properly could result in a denial of the application.

How will a person know if their registration was accepted?

• The local registration office will determine registration eligibility. A voter registration card will be mailed to eligible registrants.

• A denial letter will be mailed to any applicant determined not to be eligible.

• Any applicant who does not receive either a voter registration card or denial notice should contact their local registration office.

• Any application received after the registration deadline will not be processed until after the election which follows the registration deadline. No voter cards or denial letters will be issued during this period.

What method can be used to return completed application(s)?

• Delivery through the postal system. The applicant can deliver the voter registration application through the postal system.
  
• Delivery in person. The applicant can deliver the voter registration application form in person to their local registration office.
  
• Delivery by a third party. All voter registrations turned in to you must be given to the Office of the General Registrar within fifteen days after the person completed the card or by the registration deadline, whichever is first.

Other Helpful Information

• People should fill out a new card whenever their name, address, or other information on the card changes. State law requires people to notify the registrar if they move from one place to another in the locality.
  
• The registrar's office must have a street address to determine whom a person can vote for and where they will vote. Law enforcement officers and their families, persons under protective court order, as well as some military people, may request that the address that shows on the public voter registration records be a post office box. They can do this by checking the appropriate box on the form and writing the post office mailing address on the back of the form. However, all registration applications must show a street address on the front of the form. If the registrant has any questions about this, they should contact the registrar's office in their locality.
  
• A homeless person can register to vote, if the residence address is the primary place where the person beds down each night. This information will determine whom the person can vote for, and where they will vote. A mailing address is required to ensure that the voter gets their registration card and to avoid cancellation of voting eligibility due to returned mail. Some homeless shelters allow people to have their voter registration cards delivered to them, to be picked up by the homeless person. Call the Office of the General Registrar if you have questions about registering the homeless.