Tag: voter registration

Everything You Need to Know about Voting in Virginia

Virginia’s GOP primary is fast approaching. On March 6, also known as Super Tuesday, Virginia will vote alongside several other states to help determine who will receive the 2012 Republican nomination for president. Here are a few things you need to know to be ready for the primary and the presidential election in November.

First, some background information about Virginia voting laws and how elections work in the state is important. Voting and elections in the Commonwealth of Virginia are run by the State Board of Elections, which oversees voter registration, implementation of election procedures, etc. for local, state and national elections.

Especially for college students, it is also important to know how to register to vote in Virginia. Voter eligibility requirements are as follows:

Be a resident in Virginia
Be a U.S. citizen
Be 18 years of age by the time of the next general election (those who are 17 but will be 18 by the time of the general election are permitted to register early and to vote in any primaries or other elections prior to the general election)
Not be registered and plan to vote in another state
Not be currently declared mentally incompetent by a court of law
If convicted of a felony, you must have your right to vote restored

Registration applications may be found at any number of locations, including a local voter registration office, online, DMV offices, public libraries and the State Board of Elections office. The completed application should be filed with your local registration office or mailed to the address printed on the form. The registration deadline for both primaries and general elections is 22 days before the election is held.

College students must establish residency in Virginia in order to vote in this state’s elections. According to the Virginia State Board of Elections website, residency is established by a physical location the voter intends to stay at for an unlimited amount of time. Students are allowed to use their dorm or college address for this.

Any students who wish to register to vote in Virginia but are already registered in another state or district must cancel their other registrations first. Students attending a school in a different location from where they are registered may vote using an absentee ballot (see more information below).

Voter ID Requirements and Other Information about Going to Vote

In order to vote, all voters must bring identification to the polls. People who registered to vote by mail and are voting for the first time in a federal election are subject to special requirements:

A current and valid photo ID (e.g. driver’s license)
OR a current utility bill, bank statement, government check or paycheck that shows name and address
OR another government document that shows name and address (e.g. voter card)

All other voters must present any of the following forms of ID:

Virginia voter ID card
A valid Virginia driver’s license
Military ID
Any federal, Virginia state or local government-issued ID
Employer-issued photo ID card
Social security card
Anything else as specified in this table

In Virginia, polls are open from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM on the day of the election.

How to Vote with an Absentee Ballot

Anyone who will not be present at his or her registered voting location at the time the polls are open can apply to vote using an absentee ballot. In order to apply for an absentee ballot, you must either complete an online application or get an application from your local Voter Registration Office.

The application must be received by the Voter Registration Office by 5:00 PM EST on the Tuesday prior to the day you choose to vote. In-person absentee voting lasts from at least 45 days before the established election day and generally ends the Saturday before the election. A new, completed application must be sent in for every election you intend to vote absentee.

Now that you have the right information, you can register to vote and be prepared to vote in either the upcoming GOP primary or in the November presidential general election. Remember every vote counts.

For additional and more detailed information about registration and voting in Virginia, you can visit these websites:

http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Index.html

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/eb/

Voter Registration Forms

VA Board of Elections Accused of Attempting to Confuse Students

By Noah Martin

The Virginia State Board of Elections has been accused of possibly trying to confuse student voters. In an effort to make registering to vote easier for students, the Board has posted a self-guided questionnaire on their website.

Representatives from the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School have raised concerns about the questionnaire and have sent a letter to Secretary of Virginia State Board of Elections, Nancy Rodriguez, requesting that the questionnaire be changed or removed from the website.

Jennifer Rosenburg, fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, and Wendy Weiser, Deputy Director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan center for Justice wrote in the letter, “The questionnaire may actually confuse, mislead, and intimidate student voters.” According to them, the questionnaire asks students personal questions and questions that are irrelevant to determining voter residency.

When asked about whether she thought there were ulterior motives for posting the questionnaire, Rosenburg replied, “Its impossible to get inside another person’s head. Possibly it was trying to discourage student voters, but I don’t know.”

The questionnaire consists of 11 questions, most with multiple steps, and helps the student determine whether to vote in the state of Virginia or their home state if they lived in another state prior to attending college or university.

While a completed questionnaire is not required in order to register to vote, the Virginia State Board of Elections decided to post it as a tool to be used by students if desired. “The questionnaire has been around for some time internally and has been used by registrars to help students determine whether they want to vote in Virginia or in an other state,” said Valarie Jones, Deputy Secretary for the State Board of Elections, “its for the voter to make their own decision.”

Questions pertaining to enrollment status, tax dependent status and type of tuition paid by the student, in or out-of-state, are some of the questions that Rosenburg and Weiser cite in their letter as irrelevant which might intimidate student voters. In their letter, they express the secondary concern that students may be misled into believing that registering to vote will affect their tuition or tax status. “In virtually all cases, registering to vote has no impact on such matters,” Rosenburg and Weiser wrote.

In response to accusations that the questionnaire was hindering students from registering to vote, Deputy Secretary Jones stated, “I can tell you, students are signing up in droves to vote in the state of Virginia.”

Rosenburg’s alternative for students is the Brennan Center For Justice’s Legal Guide for Student Voting, a web tool designed to inform students of their rights as voters and to dispel myths about the registration process and its possible consequences.

To view the Virginia State Board of Election’s student questionnaire and decide for yourself go here

To view Rosenburg and Weiser’s letter in response to the questionnaire go here