2020 General Election
Turnout rate (VEP)
0
%
Votes cast from mailed-out ballots
0
%
2016 General Election
Turnout rate (VEP)
0
%
Votes cast from mailed out ballots
0
%
State election policies as of 2022...
Full Vote-at-Home
0/10
Full Vote-at-Home
Voter automatically mailed ballot for every election
No Excuse Required
6/6
No Excuse Required
No excuse to vote from home
Single Sign-Up
6/6
Single Sign-Up
Voter signs up once to receive mail ballot for all future elections
Local Vote-at-Home Option
0/5
Local VAH Option
Local governments have discretion to conduct full vote-at-home elections
Online Mail Ballot Sign-Up
2/2
Online Mail Ballot Sign-Up
Voter can apply for mail ballot online
Ballot Tracking
4/4
Ballot Tracking
Voter can receive ballot status notifications.
In-Person Ballot Return
4/5
In-Person Ballot Return
Voter has multiple options to return mail ballot in person
Signature Verification
0/4
Signature Verification
Voter signature verified before ballot is counted
Ballot Cure Process
4/4
Ballot Cure Process
Voter can correct issues so ballot can be counted
Prepaid Postage
4/4
Prepaid Postage
Postage-paid return envelopes provided
Election Day Postmark Acceptance
1/4
Election Day Postmark Acceptance
Ballots postmarked by Election Day are accepted
In-Person Voting
4/4
In-Person Return
Physical locations for voters to vote and receive assistance
Pre-Processing
3/3
Signature Verification
Ballots are verified and scanned before Election Day
Mail Ballot Applications
2/2
Mail Ballot Applications
Election officials can mail ballot applications to all voters eligible to vote from home
Ballot Return Assistance
0/2
Ballot Return Assistance
Voters may receive assistance to return their mail ballot
Opportunities
As use of absentee ballots increases, it is important to make sure that the ballots received are being filled out by the individuals they were sent to. We recommend implementing signature verification to ensure the security of the election process, as the witness requirements that the state currently has are simultaneously less secure and raise barriers for voters.
Virginia implemented top-tier ballot tracking in the 2020 election and should make it a permanent feature for all future elections. Ballot tracking software such as Ballot Scout or Ballot TRACE is a very cost effective tool that increases voter confidence, adds a layer of data for the elections office, and provides another modality to contact voters if there is a signature mismatch or deficiency on their return envelope.
We highly recommend creating vote centers, or polling locations where any voter in the county can vote. Many counties in Virginia already offer these for early voting. This is a way to streamline the system so over time, as the share of the vote cast by mail increases, counties can have fewer overall polling locations, while individual voters will have more voting location options.
We highly recommend including provisions to allow for ballots to be received at polling or vote centers, and other locations deemed necessary by the clerk, as a low-cost method to increase options for voters.
Extending the period voters can cure any fixable issues with their ballots to 5 days after election day would reduce rejection rates.
Recent Legislation
As of June 17, 2021
In 2020, H.B. 1 and H.B. 207 together established no excuse absentee voting, permanent absentee voting, and online absentee ballot requests. H.B. 220 established prepaid postage for all absentee ballots and H.B. 238 established election day postmark acceptance if the ballot is received up to three days after the election. Virginia also passed legislation to establish same-day registration; however, it will not go into effect until 2022. In 2021, the Virginia General Assembly continued its progress by passing:
Last Updated