Voting day for the 2024 election cycle is on November 5th, less than a month away! The first thing to do to prepare for voting day is register. You must be registered in the state you wish to vote in. The requirements to register are to be a resident of the state you wish to vote in, be a U.S citizen, and be 18 years old by voting day. You must also not be registered and plan to vote in another state and not be declared mentally incompetent by the law. Lastly, if you are a convicted felon under U.S law, your right to vote must be legally restored. If you fill these requirements, you can register to vote! Interested voters may register online at DMV Lookup or many public government buildings allow the public to come in person to register. The deadline to register for the 2024 election in Virginia is October 15th. If you miss the deadline, you can still register for future elections. To register, you need to provide personal information such as a valid driver’s license or state ID, social security number, and date of birth. After, the completed application may be sent to your local voting office to be approved or submitted online.
If you are unsure if you are registered in the state of Virginia, you can check at Lookup after putting in your first and last name, date of birth, the last 4 digits of your social security number, and your locality. After you are registered in the proper state, you can vote! Early voting is open now until November 2nd. To vote early, you must go to your early voting location (which you find at Early Voting Office Locations). You will have to provide your name and address, as well as show an acceptable form of ID. After the check in process, you may cast your vote. If you are unable to vote in person, you may fill out an absentee ballot. An absentee ballot is not filled out in a polling location but is mailed in to be counted. To vote absentee, you must specifically register online, which can be found at Lookup. If you do not wish to do either of these, then you must wait until November 5th for in-person voting day. On voting day, you must vote at your designated polling place which you can find at Lookup.
On November 2nd, voters will vote on the next president, senate, house of representatives and local officials depending on location. For information on these candidates, you can visit their official pages. Always do your own research on selected candidates! On voting day, you will be required to show your ID and will be told to state your name and address. You will then fill out a ballot in a private poll booth. After you deposit your ballot in the receiver machine, you are free to go!
