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From out of state? You can still vote

You're living, studying, or working in Charlottesville or Albemarle County right now, but you're from somewhere else. You still have two good paths to cast a ballot this November — pick the one that fits you.

First, choose where to vote

As a student you have a choice of where to vote — either where you attend school or at your permanent (home) address. Register where you want to vote, and vote where you are registered. Only pick one: you can't be registered in two places at once, and voting twice is a serious crime.

  • Register here if Charlottesville or Albemarle feels like home most of the year — you'd vote in local elections that shape your daily life here, and you wouldn't need to travel or rely on the mail.
  • Keep your home registration if you'll be back home before Election Day, or if you'd rather vote there by mail. Note that registering in Virginia means treating Virginia as your voting residence — your home-state registration would no longer apply.

Option A — Register and vote here in Virginia

Yes, out-of-state students can register in Charlottesville or Albemarle County using their school address — on-Grounds housing or off-grounds housing both count. Here's how:

  1. Get a paper registration form. Online registration only works with a Virginia driver's license, so out-of-state students register on paper. Grab a form at a voter registration event on Grounds, at the registrar's office, or at an early voting site or polling place — see Virginia's How to Register page for the form and full instructions. UVA Student Council Legislative Affairs (studco-legislative-affairs@virginia.edu) can also help you get a form.
  2. Fill it out with your local address and your Social Security number, sign it, and return it to the registrar's office for your locality — the Charlottesville office is at 120 7th St NE, and the Albemarle County office is at 1600 5th Street Extended.
  3. Meet the deadline: register (or update your registration) by Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. Missed it? Virginia has same-day registration — through Election Day you can register in person and vote a provisional ballot at the same visit.
  4. Find where to vote: once you're registered here, use the Find my polling place page for your precinct and the buses that get there, or vote early — see the Early voting page for locations and hours (Sept. 18 – Oct. 31, 2026).

Option B — Vote by mail in your home state

Prefer to keep your registration back home? You can vote absentee by mail while you're here. Every state runs this differently, so the golden rule is: check your own state's rules, and start early.

  1. Check your registration at home. Make sure you're still registered at your home address before anything else — the NASS "Can I Vote" tool checks registration status for any state.
  2. Request your mail ballot now. Select your state on the NASS absentee & early voting page to find your state's request form, deadline, and rules — some states require an excuse, some require a witness or notary, and deadlines vary a lot. Don't wait for the deadline; request as soon as you can.
  3. Return your ballot on time. Follow your state's instructions exactly — signatures, witnesses, postage — and mail it back well before Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Many states offer ballot tracking so you can confirm it arrived.
  4. Or vote early at home. If you'll be back home before Election Day, most states offer early in-person voting — the same NASS page lists your state's early voting period.

Official links

Questions?

Still not sure which option applies to you? Email Aleena Patel at ech8bh@virginia.edu, or send us a note on the feedback page. For voting-rights questions, the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline is at 866-OUR-VOTE.