Office of Elections

CONTACT INFORMATION: Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
703-222-0776 TTY 711
12000 Government Center Parkway Suite 323
Fairfax, VA 22035
Eric L. Spicer
General Registrar and Director of Elections

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Same Day Registration

Same day registration refers to the ability to register to vote in-person and immediately vote a provisional ballot after the deadline to register (and vote a non-provisional ballot) has passed.

FAQs

Yes. Beginning with the 2022 General Election, the General Assembly approved legislation that provides the ability to register at any time, up to and including Election Day.

Previously, registration was closed for the 21 days before an election; there was no ability to register to vote after this deadline. The new law allows registration, with limitations, during the 21-day period before an election.

Provisional ballots are used by voters who do not appear on the list of registered voters at their polling location. Provisional ballots are not processed by a vote counting machine at the time of voting, but rather are subject to approval by the local electoral board prior to the ballot being counted.

The general registrar’s office for your locality will research your ballot to gather registrar’s office will forward your ballot and the information gathered to the electoral board to review and approve or deny your ballot.

After you vote, you will be given a notice with the date, time, and place where the local electoral board will make a decision regarding your provisional ballot. You are entitled to attend this meeting, but you are not required to attend in order for your ballot to be counted. If your registration application is approved and there are no other issues, your ballot will be counted. If your ballot is not counted, you will receive written notice from your general registrar.

Any person qualified to register to vote is eligible. However, if you are already registered in a different locality and seeking to update your registration, you may be eligible to cast a non-provisional ballot, rather than the provisional ballot used for same day registration. Your general registrar or officer of election at your polling place can provide further information about eligibility.

Same day registration and voting with a provisional ballot can be utilized after the October 15 deadline to register to vote a non-provisional ballot.

You may same day register at the office of your general registrar or satellite location during the early voting period. On Election Day, you must go to the polling place for the precinct in which you reside.

Visit the Citizen Portal on the Virginia Department of Elections website or contact the Fairfax County Office of Elections at 703-222-0776 (TTY 711) or voting@fairfaxcounty.gov. 

 

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