2024 Virginia Voting Info
(Oct. 11) DOJ Accuses Virginia of Purging Voters Too Close to Election
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Virginia under the National Voter Registration Act, saying the state has been purging registered voters from its active voter registration lists too close to the General Election November 5. The federal act stops states from removing voters from the active rolls less than 90 days before an election to avoid last-minute mistakes and risking "confusion for the electorate," according to Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, in a statement. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order in August that mandates daily updates to state voter lists to remove ineligible voters.
Virginia Social Workers: Cast Your Vote!
2024 General Election: November 5
Voting is one of the most powerful ways to advocate for social work and your clients. NASW and NASWVA offer resources and online training to help you get out the vote in your community.
Calling it a “fundamental right,” NASW outlines in Social Work Speaks (its approved policy guide book) that it opposes voter suppression such as:
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implementation of what could be considered “poll taxes,”
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purging voter registration rolls of “ineligible voters” in ways that disproportionately impact minority and vulnerable populations;
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disenfranchising for life those people convicted of a felony (both those who are imprisoned and those who have served their time),
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burdensome voter identification laws,
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intentional limits on voting access sites or narrow early-voting periods, and
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voter fraud misinformation (Voting in the United States is actually very secure and safe.)
In addition, the NASW Code of Ethics requires social workers to advocate for social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed people (NASW, 2017). This includes supporting education of marginalized populations about their rights as eligible voters and U.S. citizens.
Read below for 2024 key voter and voting dates in Virginia, especially since many changes have occurred in the past four years, ranging from types of accepted identification to early-voting periods to redistricting.
2024 Elections
November 5: General Election
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In-person early voting at your local registrar's office period: September 20-November 2 at 5 p.m.
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Deadline to register to vote, or update an existing registration: October 15 (Voters may register after this date through Election Day but vote using a provisional ballot).
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Deadline to request a mail ballot: October 25 (must be received by your local voter registration office by 5 p.m.)
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All voter registration offices open for early voting: October 26
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List of candidates on your ballot: candidate lists
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Register to vote or apply for an absentee ballot online: Citizen Portal
NASW and NASWA continue to support National Voter Registration Day, which in 2024 is September 17.
Every year, millions of Americans find themselves unable to vote because they miss a registration deadline, don’t update their registration, or aren’t sure how to register. National Voter Registration Day was created to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to vote.
Learn more about National Voter Registration Day.
NASW and its partner, Voting Is Social Work, have also united with Vot-ER, a nonpartisan civic engagement initiative inspired by a social worker and designed to “make voter registration fast and easy in healthcare and all the settings where social workers practice and live. Vot-ER knows that for decades social work has been out in front doing the hard work of voter registration.”
5 Points to Ensure Your Vote Is Counted
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Your voting site may have changed, thanks to redistricting. Virginia has changed its legislative districts, so don’t find yourself confused or disappointed on Election Day. You can see a map version of the final redistricting here. Find your polling place here. You’ll find more information here.
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Voting early is easy and convenient. Virginia has some of the best early in-person voting opportunities in the nation. You’ll find a 45-day period to cast your vote at a range of local sites during business hours. As elections near, some districts also offer Saturday hours during late October prior to a November election.
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Confirm your voter registration OR get registered before the deadline! Don’t miss the deadline to register to vote or to update your voter registration information! See the chart below for all deadlines!
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Virginia has expanded the types of acceptable identification needed to confirm you are you, so that you can vote. College and university social work students: You can use your school identification cards as acceptable identification to vote. This goes for schools that are public and private, local, or nonlocal to Virginia.
Virginia offers a variety of acceptable forms of voting identification, including voter confirmation documents, current utility bills and banking statements (within 12 months of age), a signed ID confirmation statement, driver’s licenses, Department of Motor Vehicles-issued IDs, passports, and more! Click here for more ID information.
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Absentee voting rules have changed—emergency pandemic waivers have expired. Although the national public health emergency ended in May 2023, voting waivers associated with it ended in 2022 in Virginia. Most importantly, all absentee votes MUST have a witness signature to be considered valid. This requirement was waived during the public health emergency, but it will be in effect in 2023. The witness does NOT have to be a register voter, just needs to be over age 18.
MAIL-IN BALLOTS
Virginia does allow mail-in ballots, but the time to request one, the time to postmark it, and the time of receiving it for it to be counted have all varied each year. Visit here for the latest information on upcoming elections.
Understand voter accessibility information:
https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/accessible-voting/
Still have voting questions? No worries.
Visit the Election Board’s FAQ page for answers.
Voting Is Social Work
In addition to NASW’s voter engagement information, NASWVA supports voting through the national Voting Is Social Work! campaign. Here are some tips to help you get involved:
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Take the “pledge to participate” at www.votingissocialwork.org.
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Tap into resources that Voting is Social Work offers. To access online resources, click here.
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Join the Facebook Group, National Social Worker Voter Mobilization Group, for updates and idea exchanges about Voting Is Social Work! activities.
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Check out these voter tool kits:
NOTE: To check an interactive map that shows if your voting location and district have changed, click here.
