Vote 2024: Five Things to Remember Before You Vote in the March 5th Primary Election

February 28, 2024February 28, 2024 HRMessenger Staff City of Virginia Beach, election, Virginia Beach, vote, vote2024

Here’s what you need to know to cast your ballot.

Tuesday, March 5, is Election Day for the 2024 Democratic and Republican Presidential Primaries. Here are a few things to remember before you vote.

Bring your ID

Virginia law requires all voters to provide an acceptable form of identification before the can cast a ballot. Some examples include:

A current or expired Virginia driver’s license or Virginia-issued ID card
U.S. military ID
U.S. passport or passport card
A valid student ID, containing a photograph, issued by a public or private institution of higher education in the U.S.

A complete list of accepted documents is available on the Department of Elections website.

Know where to vote

Voters should head to their assigned precinct to cast a ballot in the upcoming primary election.

Not sure where to go? You can find your polling place through the Virginia Department of Elections’ Citizen Portal. You’ll need to provide your first and last name, date of birth, last four digits of your social security number and the locality that you’re registered in.

Please note: While you can vote early at the Voter Registrar’s Office ahead of the election, it will not be a polling location on Election Day.

Additional early voting sites opened Feb. 24

Voters can cast a ballot early at any of the following satellite locations as of Saturday, Feb. 24, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The last day to vote early is Saturday, March 2.

Bayside Recreation Center, 4500 First Court Road

Great Neck Recreation Center, 2521 Shorehaven Drive
Seatack Recreation Center, 141 South Birdneck Road
Kempsville Area Library, 832 Kempsville Road
Meyera E. Oberndorf Central Library, 4100 Virginia Beach Blvd.

In addition, early voting is currently available at the Office of Voter Registration & Elections, 2449 Princess Anne Road. Voters may cast their ballot at this location for the duration of the early voting period from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Saturday.

You can only vote in one party’s primary

Virginia law allows for open primaries, which means that voters do not have to be registered with a particular party to participate in its primary election. However, you may only participate in one party’s primary.

After you check in, simply tell the election official which primary you would like to vote in and they will give you the appropriate ballot.

Same-day voter registration is allowed in Virginia

The General Assembly approved legislation that allows voters to register at any time, including Election Day.

Individuals who will be 18 years old by the time of the Nov. 5 General Election are eligible to register and vote in this primary. Same-day registrants will vote with a provisional ballot, which is subject to approval by the local electoral board before it’s counted.

After you vote, you will be given a notice with a date, time and location where the electoral board will make a decision regarding your provisional ballot. You are entitled to attend this meeting, but your presence is not required for your vote to be counted.

During this meeting, your voter registration application will be reviewed and if approved, your vote will be counted. If your application is not approved for whatever reason, you will receive written notification from the General Registrar.