General Registrar of Voters
Registration Information
Voter registration is available to any Virginia resident who will be 18 years of age by the next General Election. The requirements to apply for voter registration are:
- You must be a citizen of the United States of America.
- You must be a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
- You must be at least 18 years of age by the next General Election Day.
- If you have been convicted of a felony, your voting rights must have restored by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
- If you have been declared mentally incapacitated and have lost your voting rights, your voting rights must have been restored by the circuit court.
- You must provide your social security number (will not be made public, see Section 7 of the Federal Privacy Act).
In order to become registered to vote you must fill out the Virginia Voter Registration Form completely. Failure to complete the form properly may result in delays or having your voter registration denied. You must provide your complete Social Security Number, if any, when applying to register to vote in Virginia. If you do not provide your complete Social Security Number, your voter registration will be denied. State and local voting officials will use your Social Security Number as a unique identifier to insure that no person is registering in more than one place. Records containing your Social Security Number are only open to the public after removal of the Social Security Number in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. Your Social Security Number will appear on reports produced only for official use by voter registration.
Once you have registered, you are eligible to vote in all county, state and federal primary and general and special elections. You must vote in at least one federal election every four years to remain on the voter rolls. Failure to do so can cause your name to be removed from the voter rolls. The Commonwealth of Virginia does not register applicants by party. All elections are open to the population of registered voters. The final day you can register for an upcoming primary or election is 21 days prior to the primary or election date.
To remain a qualified registered voter, the law requires:
- If you change your name, you must re-register.
- If you move within your locality, you must re-register.
- If you move to a new locality, you must register in your new locality.
Failure to do so may result in the loss of your right to vote. This must be done before the registration books close 21 days prior to each election or primary. You can submit your notice of change of name or address either by mail to Voter Registrar, 107 N. Kent Street, Suite 102, Winchester, VA 22601 or by fax (540) 665-8976. In either case, the notice must include your signature to be valid. Notices can not be made by telephone or email. After your change has been processed, you will be mailed a new Voter Registration Card. If a new card does not arrive within a few weeks, please call us at (540) 665-5660 to confirm that your notice was received.
Your Registrar will send you a voter registration card. On the card directly under your name and address is the name and address of your voting location. This is where you must go to vote on Election Day. You must always vote in the precinct where you live.
You may apply for voter registration at the Office of the General Registrar of Voters in the County Administration Complex at 107 North Kent Street, Suite 102, Winchester (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mon.-Fri.), the Department of Motor Vehicles on Valley Pike in Kernstown (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. & 8 a.m. to 12 noon on Sat.), the town offices of Middletown and Stephens City or at any social assistance agency. In addition mail-in registration applications can be picked up at numerous sites throughout the area.
If you will be out of the county on Election Day or are unable to go to the polls due to a physical illness or disability, you may vote by Absentee Ballot. Click here for more information about Absentee Ballots.
General Elections are held the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November. Polling Places open at 6:00 am and close at 7:00 pm. There are 6 Magisterial Districts with 21 Precincts and 20 Polling Places in Frederick County.
Frederick County is part of the Tenth Congressional District, the Twenty-Seventh State Senatorial District and the Twenty-Ninth, Tenth, and Thiry-Third House of Delegates Districts.
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