How to vote · 2026
Virginia
Any voter can request a mail ballot
Every date below comes from the Virginia election office and links to the page that states it. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Dates and rules
Registration, mail ballots, and early voting
Registration deadlineOctober 23, 2026Advance registration (online, in person, or postmarked mail) by Oct. 23, 2026 (22 days before). After that, same-day registration with a provisional ballot during early voting and on Election Day.
Mail-ballot request deadlineOctober 23, 2026
Mail ballots first sentSeptember 18, 2026Mail ballots go out to applicants starting about 45 days before Election Day - Friday, Sept. 18, 2026 (the statutory 45th day, Sept. 19, falls on a Saturday). Applications must be received by 5 p.m. Oct. 23 (11 days out). A 2027 law change will move the post-election receipt deadline to 5 p.m.
Return rulePostmarked by Election Day and received by noon Nov. 6, 2026
Early in-person votingSeptember 18, 2026through October 31, 2026 · In-person early voting at local registrar offices begins Friday, Sept. 18, 2026 (45 days) and ends 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31; satellite locations vary.
Official VA election site ↗Dates last verified against the official site September 1, 2026.Sources: [1] Virginia Dept. of Elections: 45-day early/absentee voting; 2026 start Sept. 18 (also published by localities such as Fairfax County)[2] USA.gov directory of official state election offices[3] Mail voting Sept. 18-Nov. 6, 2026; includes VA Dept. of Elections correspondence (May 2026)[4] CEIR 2026 voter registration deadlines (June 25, 2026 dataset; per-mode deadlines and same-day registration windows)[5] NCSL Table 5: statutory absentee ballot application deadline[6] NCSL Table 11 (updated Dec. 2025): ballot receipt/postmark deadline
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The full table of mail-ballot send dates, registration deadlines, and early-voting windows for all fifty states and DC, plus the documented record of government actions on mail voting this cycle.
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