ID Requirements

Virginia law requires all voters to provide an acceptable form of identification at the polls. Voters arriving at the polls without an acceptable form of ID will be required to either sign an ID Confirmation Statement or vote a provisional ballot. If a voter votes a provisional ballot, they will have until noon on the Friday following the election to deliver a copy of identification to their locality’s electoral board or sign an ID Confirmation Statement in order for their provisional ballot to be counted. Please see below in Provisional Ballot Process for Voters Who Arrive Without Identification more information on how the provisional ballot process will work for those arriving to the polls without ID.

Acceptable Forms of Identification for Voting at the Polling Place or Voting Early

  • Voter Card you received when you registered to vote
  • Virginia DMV-issued Driver’s License or Identification Card
  • Valid United States Passport
  • Any ID card issued by the US, Virginia, or a local Virginia government
  • Valid student ID card issued by a US university or community college
  • Valid student ID issued by a public school or private school in Virginia
  • Employer-issued photo ID card
  • Any current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document with your name and address
  • An ID Confirmation Statement
  • View a more detailed list of acceptable IDs

Don’t have one of these forms of ID?

Any registered voter who does not possess one of the above mentioned forms of ID, may sign an ID Confirmation Statement. A voter who does not bring an acceptable ID to the polls or does not sign an ID Confirmation Statement will be offered a provisional ballot.

Please note, the federal Help America Vote Act mandates that first-time voters in federal elections, who registered by mail and did not provide ID, must show an acceptable form of ID to vote, which does not include the ID Confirmation Statement. 

Provisional Ballot Process for Voters Who Arrive Without Identification

A voter who arrives at the polling place without an acceptable form of identification or who refuses to sign an ID Confirmation Statement, will be given the opportunity to vote a provisional ballot. After completing the provisional ballot, the individual voting will be given written instructions from the election officials on how to submit a copy of his/her identification or sign and submit an ID Confirmation Statement so that his/her vote can be counted.

A voter will have until noon on the Friday following the election to deliver a copy of the identification or sign and submit an ID Confirmation Statement to the local electoral board. Voters may submit a copy of their ID or ID Confirmation Statement via fax, email, in-person submission, or through USPS or commercial delivery service. Please note that the copy of the ID or signed ID Confirmation Statement must be delivered to the electoral board by noon on the Friday following the election, or the provisional ballot cannot be counted. A Friday postmark will not be sufficient if either of these are not delivered to the electoral board by noon on Friday.

The written notice given to the voter will provide the necessary information, including email, fax, and address where the ID or ID Confirmation Statement should be delivered.