Some of the features in this Voter Guide were made possible through the Knight Election Center and a grant from Microsoft.
The November 2024 elections will see Virginians voting for president, U.S. senator, the U.S. House of Representatives and, in some places, local offices. Cardinal News’ voter guide answers common questions about how to vote and what will be on your ballot.
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Key dates
When does voting begin?
September 20: Early voting begins at your local registrar’s office.
October 15: Deadline to register to vote if you’re not already registered. (Voters may register after this date using a provisional ballot). Are you registered to vote? Check here.
October 25: Deadline to apply for a mail ballot.
November 2: Last day to vote early in-person at your local registrar’s office. Offices close at 5 p.m.
November 5: In-person voting day at regular polling place. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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Where is my polling place?
How to vote
Can I vote with an out-of-state or expired license?
Yes. If you get to your polling place without an acceptable ID, you can sign a statement affirming your identity and vote on a regular ballot, according to the Virginia Department of Elections. If your license is expired, you can still use it to vote.
How can I vote by mail in Virginia?
You can request a mail-in ballot for the primary election until October 25.
Request the mail-in ballot on Virginia’s election portal, or by mailing an application for an absentee ballot to your local voter registration office. You can find the address for your voter registration office on the Virginia Department of Elections website.
You can also request an absentee ballot up to 11 days until October 25. After October 25, only emergency absentee ballots are available until the day before the election. To qualify for an emergency absentee ballot, you need to have a serious conflict (like a work conflict, or a health issue of an immediate family member).
Can I vote early in-person?
Yes. You can vote early in-person at your local registrar’s office. You can find the location of the general registrar’s office in your jurisdiction and read more about early voting on the Virginia Department of Elections’ website.
When do polls open?
Polls will be open between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday Nov. 5.
If you are in line by 7 p.m., you will be allowed to vote.
Can I vote from jail in Virginia?
In many cases, yes. If you do not have a felony conviction, or if the governor has restored your right to vote after a felony conviction, you can vote – even from jail. This includes if you are being detained awaiting your court date, or are in jail for a misdemeanor conviction.
If you have a felony conviction, you can petition the governor to restore your voting rights.
Not sure if you’re eligible to vote?
Check your registration status at virginia.gov.
You can also check out Virginia’s list of voter rights, and read ProPublica’s guide on voting accessibility for more information.
What’s on my ballot?
President
Virginia’s ballot this year has six presidential candidates: Kamala Harris (Democrat), Donald Trump (Republican), Chase Oliver (Libertarian), Jill Stein (Green Party), Claudia De la Cruz (Party for Socialism and Liberation) and Cornell West (independent).
Guides.com has produced this comparison of Harris and Trump:
U.S. Senate
The two candidates are incumbent Tim Kaine (Democrat) and challenger Hung Cao (Republican). See details on where they stand below.
House of Representatives
Virginia has 11 congressional districts. You can click through this slideshow of maps to see which one you live in or scroll down further to click on your city or county. At the bottom of this page, we have side-by-side comparisons of the candidates (the ones who have answered our questionnaire, anyway).
The 1st Congressional District. Courtesy of Virginia Supreme Court. 
The 2nd Congressional District. Courtesy of Virginia Supreme Court. 
The 3rd Congressional District. Courtesy of Virginia Supreme Court. 
The 4th Congressional District. Courtesy of Virginia Supreme Court. 
5th Congressional District. Courtesy of Virginia Supreme Court. 
The 6th congressional district. Courtesy of Virginia Supreme Court. 
The 7th Congressional District. Courtesy of Virginia Supreme Court. 
The 8th Congressional District. Courtesy of Virginia Supreme Court. 
The 9th Congressional District. Courtesy of Virginia Supreme Court. 
The10th Congressional District. Courtesy of Virginia Supreme Court. 
The11th Congressional District. Courtesy of Virginia Supreme Court.
State constitutional amendment
Virginians will be asked to approve this amendment: “Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended so that the tax exemption that is currently available to the surviving spouses of soldiers killed in action is also available to the surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty?” This expands the tax exemption for surviving spouses of soldiers killed in action to those who were killed in the line of duty. The distinction is meant to incorporate those who die during terrorist attacks that aren’t in war zones, such as the shooting at the military base at Fort Hood, Texas.
Local races
Many localities have other offices on the ballot, most commonly city councils and town councils. We sent questionnaires to all the candidates and are in the process of uploading their responses. If you’re a candidate and didn’t get our emailed questionnaire or have technical questions, you may contact elections@cardinalnews.org.
Click your county or city below to see what may be on your ballot and what the local candidates had to say.
Cardinal is sponsoring candidate forums in Danville, Lynchburg, Martinsville, Roanoke and Salem. Details on dates and how to register here.
Where the candidates stand
U.S. Senate and U.S. House
We sent questionnaires to all the candidates running for U.S. Senate and House of Representatives in Virginia. If answers are blank, it’s because the candidate didn’t reply. Candidates can still do so by responding to the link we sent. If candidates have technical issues, you may contact elections@cardinalnews.org.
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