Voter Registration

In 1998 the U. S. Congress re-authorized the Higher Education Act. The reauthorization includes a regulation that requires all colleges and universities to provide information on voter registration to its undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.

Qualifications

To be eligible to register to vote in Virginia, a person must meet all of the following criteria:

• 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.)
• does not claim the right to vote in any other state
• not currently declared mentally incompetent by a court of law
• if convicted of a felony, your right to vote must have been restored

Deadline for Registering to Vote

Voter registration in Virginia is closed for the twenty-nine (29) days before an election.

Obtaining a Voter Registration Application

Voter registration applications for Virginia and all other states are available in the Dean of Students Office, Campus Center 109 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you are a Virginia resident you may access the Voter Registration Application Form (PDF) from the State Board of Elections.

Voter registration is also available through the City of Williamsburg General Registrar Office, Stryker Building, 412 North Boundary Street, Williamsburg, VA 23185, (757) 220-6157 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Students can also register to vote online.

Assistance with Voter Registration

Students with disabilities should feel free to contact Disability Services for assistance with any aspect of voter registration. Located in the Campus Center, Room 109, Disability Services is open between the hours of 8:00 a.m and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, (757) 221-2510.

Voter Information by State

For more information concerning registering to vote or registration to vote by absentee ballot in your home state, please select your state from the list of states.

Voting Options from Abroad

Per the Uniformed and Overseas Citizen Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), you can register to vote and cast your absentee ballot from overseas if you are:

A Uniformed Citizen: U.S. citizens who are members of the Uniformed Services away from their jurisdiction in which they are eligible to vote, and their family members residing with them. Uniformed Services are defined as the U.S. Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard), merchant marine, commissioned corps of the Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

An Overseas Citizen: U.S. citizens who currently reside outside the United States, either temporarily or permanently.

To register to vote and request an absentee ballot, you need a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA).

For general information, visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program or the State Board of Elections for the regular voter registration application if you are not a UOCAVA voter.

For individual assistance, please contact

Barbara Cockrell
State Board of Elections
Washington Building, First Floor, 1100 Bank Street
Richmond , VA 23219-3497
804-864-8906
800-552-9745
Fax: 804 -371-0194
barbara.cockrell@sbe.virginia.gov
http://www.sbe.state.va.us/
http://www.fvap.gov/