Virginia Vote by Mail Application Form
SBE-701/703.1 Rev. 7/2020
Privacy Act Notice: This form requires personal information. The last
four (4) digits of your Social Security Number are required. Your
application will be denied if you fail to provide the last four digits of your
Social Security Number or if you fail to provide any other information
required to determine your qualification to vote by mail. Federal law (the
Privacy Act of 1974; the Help America Vote Act of 2002) and state law
(Virginia Constitution, article II, § 2; § 24.2- 701, Code of Virginia; the
Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act) authorize
collecting this information and restrict its use to official purposes only.
Warning: Intentionally voting more than once in an election or making a
materially false statement on this form constitutes the crime of election
fraud. Intentionally voting more than once in an election is punishable
under Virginia law as a Class 6 felony and is punishable by a term of
imprisonment of up to five years, or confinement in jail for not more
than 12 months, and/or a fine of not more than $2,500. Making a
materially false statement on this form is punishable under Virginia law
as a Class 5 felony and is punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to
ten years, confinement in jail for not more than 12 months, and/or a fine
of not more than $2,500.
Instructions
How to Vote by Mail
To vote by mail, complete this form and submit it to your local voter
registration office. You can find the contact information for your local
voter registration office through the Department of Elections website,
https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation/PublicContactLookup.
If you prefer to vote in person, this form is not needed.
If you mailed in your voter registration application and this is the first
time you are voting in your current city/county, please see the First Time
Voting in This City/County section below for additional instructions.
If you are a military or overseas voter or the spouse or dependent of a
military or overseas voter, please see the Military and Overseas Voters
section below for additional instructions.
When to Vote by Mail
You can apply to vote by mail for an election as early as one year before
that election.
A separate form is required for each voter and each election. To apply to
vote by mail in multiple elections, please see the instructions for “Annual
Vote by Mail Selection (Section 3).”
The deadline for receipt of your request by mail, email, or fax is 5:00 pm
on the eleventh (11th) day before the election.
Ballots are available 45 days before an election. (If you register to vote in
person, you must wait five days before you can have your ballot mailed
to you.)
First Time Voting in This City/County (Section 7b)
If you registered to vote by mail and have not previously voted in your
current city/county, you may only apply to vote by mail if you meet one
of the qualifying exemptions; otherwise, you must vote in person. If
you meet one or more of the exemptions listed below, enter the code(s)
in section 7b on the front of this form.
Exemption Codes:
1. I am a student attending college/university outside of my
city/county of residence in Virginia.
2. I have a disability or illness that prevents me from voting in person.
3. I am pregnant.
4. I am confined either awaiting trial or convicted of a misdemeanor.
5. I am active duty merchant marine or in the armed forces, or a
spouse or dependent of an active duty member.
6. I am temporarily residing outside of the U.S. for a non-employment
related reason. (Voter Registration Office: review VA Code § 24.2-453)
7. I am temporarily residing outside of the U.S. for employment or a
spouse or dependent living with a person temporarily residing
outside of the U.S. for employment.
8. I have moved to another state less than 30 days before a
presidential election and am requesting a ballot for the presidential
and vice-presidential electors only (ballots for other offices/issues
will not be sent).
9. I am 65 years of age or older.
Annual Vote by Mail Selection (Section 3)
If you checked the box in Section 3, you are indicating that you wish to
receive your ballot in the mail for every election this calendar year. In
doing so, you swear/affirm that you will likely remain eligible to vote in
Virginia during that calendar year.
If you move during the calendar year, complete a new form and submit it
to your new General Registrar to continue receiving ballots.
If your ballot is returned undeliverable, you will be removed from the
Annual Vote by Mail list.
If you want to receive a primary ballot, you must indicate a political party
preference in Section 3. If you do not want a ballot for primary elections,
please mark the last box or leave the answer to this question blank.
Military and Overseas Voters (Section 7c)
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizen Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA)
entitles certain individuals to receive their vote by mail ballots by email
or fax. If you meet one or more of the following UOCAVA voter
categories, please enter the code(s) for that category in section 7c of this
form.
A. I am an active duty merchant marine or in the armed forces.
B. I am a spouse or dependent living with an active duty merchant
marine or armed forces member.
C. I am temporarily residing outside of the U.S. for a non-employment
related reason. (Voter Registration Office: review VA Code § 24.2-453)
If you have given up your address permanently or have no intent to
return, enter your last date of residency in section 7c, line 2.
D. I am temporarily residing outside of the U.S. for employment or a
spouse or dependent living with a person temporarily residing
outside of the U.S. for employment.
While UOCAVA voters may use this form, they are encouraged to use the
Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) (which also serves as a voter
registration application/update). If you do submit this Virginia Vote by
Mail form (ELECT-701), it will be interpreted as a request by you to
discontinue any FPCA you have previously submitted. For more
information on or to obtain the FPCA, visit https://www.fvap.gov/.
If your ballot is being emailed to you, ensure you monitor your
junk/spam email folders. If your ballot is being faxed to you, ensure you
monitor your fax machine. The Department of Elections and your local
voter registration office are not responsible for emailed or faxed ballots
that end up in a junk/spam folder or are not received by you.
Delivery of Ballot (Section 4 and 5)
Ballots may not be forwarded or sent “in care of”/“to the attention of”
another person. Your ballot can only be mailed to one of the following:
1. Your residence address
2. Your location while outside your city/county of residence
3. Your place of temporary confinement for illness, disability,
misdemeanor conviction, or awaiting trial
