The Virginia Primary Election will happen on March 5th, during spring break. Primary elections give voters the opportunity to decide from a pool of candidates who should be nominated by your political party to run in the general election. Winners in Virginia primary elections are determined by plurality vote, which means the candidate with the highest number of votes wins, even if they didn’t win an outright majority of the votes.

1. Virginia’s election will be an open primary.

In an open primary, a voter of any political affiliation may vote in the primary of any party. For example, a voter registered as a Democrat can choose to vote in the Republican primary. A voter may only vote in one party’s primary and, in many states, voters are not required to choose a political affiliation when they register to vote.

2. Re-registering

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If you have changed your address or changed your name, you must re-register to vote.

3. Same-day voter registration

If you are currently not registered to vote, Virginia now has same-day voter registration. Voters are permitted to register and vote a provisional ballot at their polling location on Election Day and during in-person voting during the Early Voting Period after the registration deadline. The voted provisional ballot will be counted as a regular ballot after the newly registered voter’s local registrar is able to review available lists to confirm the voter’s eligibility to register.

4. Voting from a vehicle

If you have a disability, you have the option to vote from a vehicle. There will be a designated parking space at the polling place with signs listing instructions. You can also have someone enter the polling place to ask an election worker for assistance. Any questions about this can be answered by calling your election officer ahead of time, who can be found at elections.virginia.gov.

5. More information

You can find your polling place, check your registration, and view the list of candidates at elections.virginia.gov.