The November Midterm Elections are approaching and it’s important to know what your voting rights are in Virginia.
The following information comes from the Virginia Department of Elections website and should be followed by those who live and vote in the state.
As a Virginia voter you are entitled to the following rights:
- To be treated with courtesy and respect by election officials
- To be notified if your voter registration has been accepted or denied
- To vote if you have registered at your current address at least 22 days before election day
- To seek help from the election officials if you are unsure about anything relating to the voting process
- To be given a demonstration of how the voting equipment works
- To have your paper or optical scan ballot voided before it is cast and be given a new one if you want to change your vote
- To change your touch screen ballot before it is cast
- To enter the full name of a write-in candidate if the candidate of your choice is not on the ballot
- To have a ballot brought to your vehicle instead of entering the polling place if you are 65 years of age or older, or if you are physically disabled
- To have an officer of election or other person to help you vote if you are physically disabled or unable to read or write (or need the ballot translated into another language). Blind voters may have any person assist them. Other voters may have anyone who is not their employer or union representative assist them
- To vote a Provisional Ballot if you have no photo identification with you at the polling place, and to present photo identification by noon on the Monday following the election to have the ballot counted
- To vote a Provisional Ballot if your status as a qualified voter is in question, and to be present when the Electoral Board meets to determine if your ballot will be counted
- To bring your minor child (age 15 or younger) into the voting booth
- To vote if you are in line by 7 p.m. when the polls close
- To cast an absentee ballot if you are qualified to vote absentee
- You cannot be denied the right to vote if you are legally qualified to do so
- Government officials must not apply standards or practices which deny or abridge the right to vote on account of race, and must not deny any individual the right to vote on account of errors or omissions in registration applications which are not material to determining whether such individual is qualified to vote. Officials must not apply different standards and procedures to voters in the same circumstances in determining whether they are qualified to vote
To see the full list and other information, click here.
You need a photo ID to vote but do not need to bring proof of your voter registration.
Remember that you can get an acceptable photo ID from your nearest voter registration office or DMV, even on Election Day.
The DMV will print you a temporary ID to use while you wait for the official one to come in the mail, according to the Virginia Department of Elections Website.
To see more Election and Voter FAQs, click here.
