What are the voting requirements

A United States citizen and a resident of California,
18 years old or older on Election Day,
Not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony (for more information on the rights of people who have been incarcerated, please see the Secretary of State's Voting Rights: Persons with a Criminal History), and
Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court (for more information, please see Voting Rights: Persons Subject to Conservatorship).

Be 16 or 17 years old, and
Meet all of the other eligibility requirements to vote.

You will automatically be registered to vote on your 18th birthday.

To be Eligible to Register to Vote in Virginia a Person must:

Be a resident 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).
Be a U. S. Citizen.
Be 18 years old (any person who is 17 years old and will be eighteen years of age at the next general election shall be permitted to register in advance and also vote in any intervening primary or special election).
Not be registered and plan to vote in another state.
Not currently declared mentally incompetent by a court of law.
If convicted of a felony, your right to vote must have been restored.

Persons Eligible to Register can Obtain a Registration Application at any of the Following Locations:

The completed application can be filed with the local registration office or mailed to the address printed on the form. Application for registration can be submitted using a Virginia Voter Registration Application form or a National Voter Registration Application form. Military and other persons residing outside of the United States should contact the Federal Voting Assistance Program for registration information.

Once you have submitted your registration form, you should receive an information card or other correspondence confirming your registration status. If you do not receive one, contact your local Registrar’s Office to make sure that your application has been processed. You can also check for your voter record online. Please note that an information card or other correspondence confirming your voter registration status does not qualify as photo identification. For information on qualified identification for voting in person, or how to obtain a Voter Photo Identification card, please visit: elections.virginia.gov/voterID or call toll free at (800) 552-9745 or TTY: 711

Please note: The deadline to register to vote also applies to updating your voter registration address. Generally the deadline for registration is three weeks before a general election and shorter for special elections to fill vacancies. If your address change is not submitted to the office of the general registrar by the applicable deadline for the election in which you wish to vote, you may not be able to vote. Please notify the general registrar of address changes promptly.

Registration Deadlines

General	22 Days before election
Primary	22 Days before election
Special	14 Days before election
Special (Called by the Governor)	7 Days before election

Improve your Chances of Successful Registration:

Complete all information blocks on the application. If any information requested does not apply to you, indicate such by writing the word “NONE” or “NA” in that space.
Sign and date the registration application.
Submit your completed application by mailing it to the appropriate address, or delivering it to your local registration office. Mailing addresses for General Registrars can be found using our lookup tool.

Failure to complete the form properly could result in your registration being delayed or denied. Note that you must provide your Social Security number, if any, when applying to register to vote in Virginia. Therefore, if you do not provide your Social Security number, your application for voter registration will be denied. State and local voting officials will use your Social Security number as a unique identifier to insure that no person is registered in more than one place. Records containing your Social Security number will not be open to inspection by the public. Your Social Security number will appear on reports produced only for official use by voter registration and election officials, and for jury selection purposes by courts.

Where to Send Your Completed Application

The Voter Registration Application can be mailed via the U.S. postal service or hand-delivered to any official registration office.

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. On the final day of registration for an election all general registrar offices close at 5:00 p.m.
Applications postmarked or received after the deadline will be held and processed after the election.
For questions concerning completing the application and voting on Election Day, call your local registration office.
Check your voter registration record online.
For other questions contact the Virginia Department of Elections.

Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution

As a result of many battles, laws and amendments, modern day voting is a much simpler matter. To vote in a presidential election today, you must be 18 years old and a United States citizen. Each state has its own requirements.

Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution provides that "Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations" governing elections. Under that provision of Article I, a number of unfair voting practices have been removed, although many Americans remain vigilant about equitable access to the ballot.

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