• Be a citizen of the United States
• Be a resident of Virginia
• Not be registered and plan to vote in another state
• Not currently declared mentally incompetent by a court of law
• Have had your right to vote restored if ever convicted of a felony
• Be at least 18 years on or before a November general election

To pre-register to vote when you turn 18: 

• At least 16 years old but not 18 on or before the next general election.

To apply online use the Virginia Department of Elections' Citizen Portal

To apply by mail or email, download a voter registration application, visit our office, or pick up a form at a library, a county supervisor's office, or county governmental center. 

See the Virginia Department of Elections website for more information.

Did you know that when you register to vote in Virginia, you DO NOT register to vote by party? Virginia is an Open Primary state which means that any registered voter in Virginia can vote in either a Democratic or Republican primary. When both parties are holding a primary election, you will be asked which primary you want to vote in when you check-in. Note, you may only vote in one primary per State law (Code of Virginia, § 24.2-530).

To remain a qualified registered voter, the law requires you to notify your local voter registration office of any change in your name or address. This must be done before the registration books close for the next election. You can submit your notice of change of name or address either by mail to the Fairfax County Office of Elections, P.O. Box 10161, Fairfax, VA, 22038-8061, by fax to 703-324-2205, or you can scan your notice of change, including your signature, and email it to voting@fairfaxcounty.gov In either case, the notice must include your signature to be valid. Notice cannot be made by telephone.

After your change is processed, you will be mailed a new voter information postcard. If a new postcard does not arrive within a few weeks, please call us at 703-222-0776 to confirm that your notice was received.

You or your organization may conduct a voter registration drive at public locations within the community. We will be happy to advise you in planning a successful drive, training volunteers, and answering any questions you might have. We can assist you by providing voter registration and absentee ballot forms in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Korean languages. Forms and other informative materials are located on the Voter Forms page.

For more information, call our office at 703-222-0776. Effective July 1, 2013 all individuals or organizations requesting twenty-five (25) or more voter registration applications from the State Board of Elections (SBE) or local voter registration offices must register and complete Virginia Department of Elections certified training.