See our Election Information Page for details about upcoming elections.

Absentee Ballot Deadlines, 2012 Elections

Note: Please do not complete an absentee ballot application in advance if you plan to vote in person. You will complete the form when you arrive to vote. Thank you!!

Quick links to absentee application forms:

• Virginia Absentee Ballot Application (fillable pdf), used by most absentee voters
• Federal Post Card Application (fillable pdf), for military and overseas citizens only
• Annual Absentee Application, for certain persons who are physically disabled or ill
  

Who Can Vote Absentee?

Citizens who will be absent from Arlington on Election Day, or who are unable to go to the polls because of illness or disabilities, may apply to have an absentee ballot mailed to them or vote by absentee ballot in person at the Office of Voter Registration. Virginia law requires a reason to vote absentee. Valid reasons for voting absentee are: 

• Students at institutions of higher learning, and their spouses
• Absent for business purposes (includes persons who are employed outside of Arlington)
• Absent for personal business or vacation
• Scheduled to work at one's workplace at least 11 of the 13 hours the polls are open (includes commuting)
• Firefighters and first responder personnel
• Unable to get to the polls because of disability, illness, or pregnancy
• Caretakers of confined family members
• Awaiting trial and under confinement
• Serving time for misdemeanor convictions
• Religious conflicts
• Active duty uniformed services or merchant marine personnel and dependents residing with them
• Regularly employed outside the U.S. and dependents residing with them
• Living abroad indefinitely (may be eligible to vote only for federal offices)
• Registrars, electoral board members, or officers of election scheduled to work the election
• Political party or candidate representative volunteers scheduled to work inside the polls or at different polling places 
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When Can I Apply for an Absentee Ballot?

You can apply using the Virginia Absentee Ballot Application as soon as you know you will not be able to go to the polls on Election Day, but no earlier than 12 months before the election date. If you want your ballot mailed, we must receive your application by no later than 5:00 p.m. on the Tuesday before the election. Please return the application by fax to 703.228.3705 or by mail to the Office of Voter Registration at the address on the right. In-person absentee voting is available in our office beginning 45 days before the election and ends at 5:00 p.m. on the Saturday before the election.

Under Virginia law, all absentee ballots must either be voted in person at our office, or sent directly to the voter by mail. Ballots cannot be sent "in care of" another individual. We use certified first-class U.S. mail to send ballots within the U.S. and a special pre-paid U.S. postage permit to mail ballots overseas. At the voter's request and pre-paid expense, we can send ballots via Express Mail. Please contact our office at 703-228-3456 for details.

Certain individuals who are physically disabled or ill may submit one annual absentee ballot application that will be used for all elections in the year. The first application you submit must include a statement about your disability or illness from your physician or religious practitioner. Thereafter we will mail you a new application each December for you to use for the coming year. [top]

Can I Vote Absentee In Person?

Yes, as soon as the ballot is available, you can come to the Office of Voter Registration at 2100 Clarendon Blvd. Suite 320 and vote your ballot in person. This is a more convenient and quicker voting option than having a ballot mailed for many voters who need to vote by absentee ballot. You still need to complete an application and state your reason for voting by absentee ballot when you come to vote.

In-person absentee voting hours are during regular business hours, 8-5 Monday-Friday, as well as during extended days and times as noted above. [top]

Voters lined up in Courthouse Plaza to vote by absentee ballot for the Nov. 4, 2008 Presidential Election. This is NOT typical!

What Do I Do If I’m Currently Living Abroad or in the Military?

All U.S. Citizens are entitled to vote in federal elections (the offices of President and Vice President, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives). If you are an active duty member of the uniformed services with a domicile address in Arlington, or if you are temporarily abroad but maintain domicile and place of abode at an address in Arlington, you are eligible to receive a full ballot, including all state and local offices and issues. All military and overseas citizens should complete the Federal Post Card Application, or FPCA to request a ballot. This application must be received in our office by no later than 5:00 p.m. on the Tuesday before the election. Please mail to the address below or fax to 703.228.3705. You can also email your completed and scanned application to absentee(at)arlingtonva.us (note: to send an attachment by email, please type our address into your email program, replacing the (at) with the "at" sign or @. The links on our website take you to an email form that won't let you send attachments).

NOTE: All military and overseas applicants should review the Virginia instructions of the Federal Voting Assistance Program's Voting Assistance Guide before completing the FPCA! (This document is also part of the application package when you download it here.)

If you are overseas by virtue of employment but no longer maintain domicile and place of abode in Arlington, you and any dependents residing with you may be eligible for temporary registration to receive a full ballot, provided you and your dependents were registered to vote in your former precinct immediately prior to your departure, and your move overseas occurred after July 1, 1999. Please compete the Federal Post Card Application. Your application must be received by our office or postmarked by no later than 22 days before the election date.

If you are residing abroad for other reasons and do not maintain domicile and place of abode at an Arlington address, as a U.S. citizen you are still eligible for a Federal ballot. Please compete the Federal Post Card Application. This provision applies only to Federal elections. This application must be received in our office or postmarked by no later than 22 days before the election date.

You can complete the application by downloading the Federal Post Card Application directly from our web site. According to law, all eligible individuals who submit an FPCA are eligible to receive ballots for all elections in which they are eligible to vote through either the next November general election or the next November federal election, whichever is later. If you return to the U.S. or change your military or overseas mailing address, it is very important that you inform our office of the change, or submit a new FPCA. [top]

Special Email Absentee Ballot Program

Active duty military and overseas citizen absentee voters, and dependents residing with them, may request absentee ballots transmitted via email.

How it works:

1. Complete the Federal Post Card Application, or FPCA. Print and sign the application and fax it back to us at 703.228.3705. You can also obtain the application from your Voting Assistance Officer at your unit or consulate, or download the application from this website. We can also accept a scanned version of the signed application transmitted via email to absentee (at) arlingtonva.us (note: to send an attachment by email, please type our address into your email program, replacing the (at) with the "at" sign or @. The links on our website take you to an email form that won't let you send attachments). 

Be sure to note on your application that you are requesting a ballot by email, and include your email address, along with your overseas mailing address.

Please note that we must receive your FPCA application by the Tuesday before the election if you are already registered to vote in Virginia. If you are not registered to vote or if you are only eligible for temporary registration (see above), we must receive your FPCA, which also serves as your registration application, by the registration deadline for the election. 

2. Your ballot and accompanying instructions will be transmitted to you by email to the address you provide on your application.

3. Following the instructions provided, print and vote your ballot and return it to us by either U.S. mail or commercial courier (UPS, DHL, FedEx, etc.) so we receive your voted ballot by no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day.

For questions about the email absentee ballot program, please email us. [top]

What Do I Do if I Mark My Ballot Incorrectly or if It Doesn't Arrive in the Mail?

Please call our office immediately at 703.228.3456 if you destroy or spoil your original ballot. If there is time before the election, we can send you a replacement, but you must first return the spoiled ballot to us. If you destroy or have never received your ballot, we need you to complete a statement to that effect. If you are in Arlington and able to come to our office, we can issue your replacement ballot to you in person, up until the polls close at 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.* If you are out of town, we can only issue a replacement if there is adequate time to receive your spoiled ballot or replacement ballot statement and send you a new ballot in time for you to return it to us voted by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. 

* If you lose or do not receive your ballot, you can also go to your polling place on Election Day, if you are able to do so, where you can vote a Provisional Ballot. The Provisional Ballot will not be counted on Election Day, but once we verify we did not receive your absentee ballot, we will accept and count your Provisional Ballot. 

If you bring a spoiled or unused ballot to your polling place, you will be able to vote there on Election Day after turning your ballot over to election officials.

Certain ill or disabled voters who have not received or have spoiled their ballots by the Saturday before the election, and are unable to come to our office in person for a replacement, may designate an individual to pick up and return a replacement ballot on their behalf. Please call our office at 703.228.3456 for details. [top]