Oct 12: Voter Registration Deadline in Virginia

Dear Students:

Exercising the right to vote is a privilege and a responsibility of democratic citizenship. In order to vote in Virginia, you must be registered by Tuesday, October 12, 2021.

In their note below, Student Council President Abel Liu and Co-Chairs of Legislative Affairs Bianka Warrick and Deonte Johnson share important details on voter registration, early voting, absentee voting, and voting on Election Day, November 2, 2021. This year, Election Day will be a University staff holiday, and starting next year, classes in nearly every school and all the undergraduate schools will not meet on Election Day. I encourage you to review the information below and make a plan to actively participate in this important aspect of civic life. 

Thank you for taking time to learn about the voter registration process, and if you decide to vote in Virginia, please be sure you are registered by October 12.

Sincerely,

Julie I. Caruccio
Interim Dean of Students

Dear Students:

This year, Election Day falls on Tuesday, November 2. The deadline to register to vote for this election in Virginia is next week – Tuesday, October 12. Please look below for information on early, absentee, and in-person voting.

In order to vote on Election Day IN VIRGINIA, you must be:

• Registered in Virginia
• 18 years old by Election Day (November 2, 2021)
• U.S. Citizen
• Your address must be up to date

Both in-state and out-of-state University students are eligible to vote in Virginia. You are only to permitted to vote in one state.

In-State Students

You may register to vote with your permanent/parents' address or your UVA/local-area address (students registering at their permanent/parents' addresses should request an absentee ballot online soon after registering, unless you plan to vote in person). 

Out-of-State Students

To vote in the Virginia election, you must register to vote using your UVA/local-area address. 

REGISTERING TO VOTE IN VIRGINIA

1. Paper form: You may register to vote using the paper Virginia Voter Registration Application. If you independently complete the application form, it must be turned in to the appropriate voter registrar's office by Tuesday, October 12, at 5 p.m., or it must be postmarked on that day. If you do not have the means to turn your application into the registrar’s office, please contact [email protected].
2. Online: You may begin the process of registering to vote on the Virginia Department of Elections website. You may be able to complete this process online using a Virginia Driver’s License, but in some cases you may have to print off a part of your form and mail it in to the appropriate registrar's office. Please have a printer, envelope, and stamp ready before you begin to register online (if any of these present an obstacle, please email [email protected]). The mailed-in portion must be postmarked by Tuesday, October 12.

IMPORTANT: CHECK YOUR REGISTRATION STATUS

Make sure your voter registration is up-to-date with your current address. 

If you were previously registered in Virginia and have moved within the past year, even within the local area, you must update your address on your voter registration by October 12. Additionally, if you have turned 21 or been to the DMV recently, your registration address may have been changed to your permanent address. 

CHECK YOUR REGISTRATION STATUS. Even if you think your information is up-to-date, it’s a good idea to check.

CONFIRMATION OF REGISTRATION STATUS

After submitting your application, you should receive a notice in the mail confirming your registration status. This notice will give you your voting location, locality, precinct, districts, and an address for your voter registration office. If for whatever reason your application is denied, you will receive a notice of denial from the registrar's office in the mail. If you do not receive information in the mail, you should check the status of your application. 

EARLY VOTING 

If you are currently registered to vote in Albemarle or Charlottesville, you can also vote early at your local registrar's office until Saturday, October 30, at 5 p.m. Make sure your registration is up-to-date before going to vote early and check your office’s registrar’s hours:

• Albemarle County
• Charlottesville City
• Wearing a mask is suggested but not required.

This year, Student Council will sponsor free Uber and Lyft rides to local early voting sites. We will reimburse 200 students for their round-trip Uber or Lyft costs to their local registrar’s office on a first-come, first-served basis. Simply visit uvastudco.com/vote-early to submit your receipts for reimbursement. Student Council will begin distributing reimbursements in late October, but we encourage you to take advantage of our service as soon as you can.

Please note: If you would like to vote in-person but you have already applied for an absentee ballot, please wait for your absentee ballot to arrive and then bring it with you, unopened, to vote in person (early or on Election Day).

ABSENTEE VOTING

If you are planning to vote by mail this election, make sure to request your ballot as soon as possible. The official deadline is October 22, but due to potential delays in the U.S. Postal Service, you should request it as soon as possible if you are planning to return your ballot by mail. You can request your ballot here.

If you are returning your ballot by mail, the recommended deadline to mail it is October 20. You may also return your completed ballot to drop-boxes located at the Charlottesville city and Albemarle County registrars' offices, depending on your locality.

VOTING ON ELECTION DAY

Election Day is Tuesday, November 2. Polling places will be open from 6:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. If you do not know your polling location, you can find it here. 

If you are planning on taking Charlottesville Area Transit, you can access the bus schedule here. Please remember to wear a mask and physically distance.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Confused by all the options? Feel free to email [email protected].

Sincerely,

Abel Liu
Student Council President

Bianka Warrick
Deonte Johnson
Co-Directors, Student Council Legislative Affairs Agency