Voter Registration

Virginia now allows pre-registration for 16 and 17 year-olds - submit your request and we'll keep it on file until you're of age! Once you're eligible to participate in an election, we'll process your request and send you your Virginia Voter Registration Card.

Am I Registered to Vote?

You can check your Virginia Voter Registration status online through the Virginia Department of Elections’ Voter Information Portal; just click the button that says "Check registration status."

How Do I Register to Vote?

Registering to vote is a uniform procedure statewide. Your options are as follow:

• Complete a Virginia Voter Registration Application or National Voter Registration Application (SSN is required to register in Virginia) and submit it to us:
  • By mail to P.O. Box 20884 Roanoke, VA 24018;
  • By email to elections@roanokecountyva.gov;
  • By fax to (540) 772-2115; or
  • In person at our office, 900 Chestnut St. Vinton, VA 24179 Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM.
• Visit the Virginia Department of Elections’ Voter Information Portal, click the "Register to Vote" button, and complete the process online.  You will need a Virginia DMV Driver's License or State ID Number in order to complete your transaction. 

Voter Registration Applications are also available at:

• Division of Motor Vehicles locations
• Post Offices
• Local Public Libraries
• Local Departments of Social Services
• Voter Registration Offices in Virginia

Changing or Updating Your Voter Registration Record

To update your voter registration record, you may do any of the following:

• Complete a Virginia Voter Registration Application and submit it to us via any of the methods outlined under the "How Do I Register to Vote?" section, above.
• Complete the name/address change/update fields on the back of your Virginia Voter Registration Card, sign your name, and send it to us via any of the methods outlined above.
• Visit the Virginia Department of Elections’ Voter Information Portal and complete the process online. 

All requests to change or update your voter registration record must be made in writing; we are legally prohibited from making any changes to a voter's registration record without a written request signed by the voter (POAs are insufficient under Virginia law).

Deadlines for Changing/Updating Your Address

Voter registration rolls are closed to new registrants and changes during the 21 days before each primary and general election, but Virginia's new "Same Day Voter Registration Law" gives voters who missed the deadline to register or update their registration another chance to make their voices heard at the ballot box. 

• Before Close of Books (22 days prior to Election Day): 

To be eligible to vote a REGULAR BALLOT in an election, your registration request must be completed and submitted at least 22 days prior to the date of the election in which you wish to participate. 

• After Close of Books (21 or fewer days before Election Day):

Once there are 21 or fewer days left before Election Day, Virginia's "Same Day Voter Registration" law gives voters the option to cast a PROVISIONAL BALLOT after completing a new Virginia Voter Registration Application.  Under this law, the following chart will be used to determine HOW and WHERE may a voter who has moved may cast a ballot:

^{* Different options may apply during presidential election years.} 

Any provisional ballots cast by voters who moved and failed to update their voter registration record before the close of books 22 days prior to Election Day will be reviewed by the Roanoke County Electoral Board during the Canvass of Results that takes place in the week following Election Day.  Provisional ballots cast by voters whose "Same Day" Voter Registration Applications were complete, able to be approved, and who have no conflicting voter credit for the applicable election will be counted by the Electoral Board and included in the certified results reported to the Virginia Department of Elections .  

Voter Registration Cards/Proof of Registration

Once your application has been processed, you will be mailed a Voter Registration Notice (Roanoke County sends a Virginia Voter Registration Card which can also be used as a form of voter identification) that lists your Election Day precinct and polling place and your federal, state, and local election districts.

To request a new Virginia Voter Registration Card, please submit a new Virginia Voter Registration Application by mail, online via the Virginia Department of Elections Voter Information Portal, or calling us at (540) 772-7500 to request that a copy be MAILED to you at the residential address at which you are currently registered to vote.

Please note that, with very limited exceptions, Virginia law prohibits us from mailing voter registration cards to voters at any address other than their residence.  We cannot print or provide voter registration cards to voters upon request; these must be mailed out via USPS First Class Mail, so please allow adequate time for delivery. 

Canceling Your Voter Registration

Any registered voter may cancel their registration and have their name removed from the central registration records by signing an authorization for cancellation and mailing or otherwise submitting the following signed form to the Department of Elections: ELECT-427A - Voter Registration Cancellation. This form may be submitted by mail to Roanoke County Elections at P.O. Box 20884 Roanoke, VA 24018, via email to elections@roanokecountyva.gov, fax to (540) 772-2115, or in person at our office at 900 Chestnut St., Vinton, VA 24179.