24.2-643 - Qualified voter permitted to vote; procedures at polling place; voter identification.
§ 24.2-643. Qualified voter permitted to vote; procedures at polling place;voter identification.
A. After the polls are open, each qualified voter at a precinct shall bepermitted to vote. The officers of election shall ascertain that a personoffering to vote is a qualified voter before admitting him to the votingbooth and furnishing an official ballot to him.
B. An officer of election shall ask the voter for his full name and currentresidence address and repeat, in a voice audible to party and candidaterepresentatives present, the full name and address stated by the voter. Theofficer shall ask the voter to present any one of the following forms ofidentification: his Commonwealth of Virginia voter registration card, hissocial security card, his valid Virginia driver's license, or any otheridentification card issued by a government agency of the Commonwealth, one ofits political subdivisions, or the United States; or any valid employeeidentification card containing a photograph of the voter and issued by anemployer of the voter in the ordinary course of the employer's business.
If the voter's name is found on the pollbook, if he presents one of the formsof identification listed above, if he is qualified to vote in the election,and if no objection is made, an officer shall enter, opposite the voter'sname on the pollbook, the first or next consecutive number from the votercount form provided by the State Board, or shall enter that the voter hasvoted if the pollbook is in electronic form; an officer shall provide thevoter with the official ballot; and another officer shall admit him to thevoting booth. Each voter whose name has been marked on the pollbooks aspresent to vote and entitled to a ballot shall remain in the presence of theofficers of election in the polling place until he has voted. If a line ofvoters who have been marked on the pollbooks as present to vote forms toawait entry to the voting booths, the line shall not be permitted to extendoutside of the room containing the voting booths and shall remain underobservation by the officers of election.
Except as provided in subsection E of this section, if a voter is entitled tovote except that he is unable to present one of the forms of identificationlisted above, he shall be allowed to vote after signing a statement, subjectto felony penalties for false statements pursuant to § 24.2-1016, that he isthe named registered voter who he claims to be. A voter who requiresassistance in voting by reason of physical disability or inability to read orwrite, and who requests assistance pursuant to § 24.2-649, may be assisted inpreparation of this statement in accordance with that section. The provisionsof § 24.2-649 regarding voters who are unable to sign shall be followed whenassisting a voter in completing this statement.
A voter may be accompanied into the voting booth by his child age 15 oryounger.
C. If the current residence address stated by the voter is different from theaddress shown on the pollbook, the officer of election shall furnish thevoter with a change of address form prescribed by the State Board. Upon itscompletion, the voter shall sign the prescribed form, subject to felonypenalties for making false statements pursuant to § 24.2-1016, which theofficer of election shall then place in an envelope provided for such formsfor transmission to the general registrar who shall then transfer or cancelthe registration of such voter pursuant to Chapter 4 (§ 24.2-400 et seq.) ofthis title.
D. At the time the voter is asked his full name and current residenceaddress, the officer of election shall ask any voter for whom the pollbookindicates that an identification number other than a social security numberis recorded on the Virginia voter registration system if he presently has asocial security number. If the voter is able to provide his social securitynumber, he shall be furnished with a voter registration form prescribed bythe State Board to update his registration information. Upon its completion,the form shall be placed by the officer of election in an envelope providedfor such forms for transmission to the general registrar. Any social securitynumbers so provided shall be entered by the general registrar in the voter'srecord on the voter registration system.
E. For federal elections held after January 1, 2004, this subsection shallapply in the case of any voter who is required by subparagraph (b) of 42U.S.C.S. § 15483 of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to show identificationthe first time the voter votes in a federal election in the state. At suchelection, such voter shall present: (i) a current and valid photoidentification; or (ii) a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement,government check, paycheck or other document that shows the name and addressof the voter. Such individual who desires to vote in person but who does notshow one of the forms of identification specified in this paragraph shall beoffered a provisional ballot under the provisions of § 24.2-653. Neither theidentification requirements of subsection B of this section, nor theidentification requirements of subsection A of § 24.2-653, shall apply tosuch voter at that election. The State Board of Elections shall provideinstructions to the electoral boards for the handling and counting of suchprovisional ballots pursuant to subsection B of § 24.2-653 and this section.
(Code 1950, §§ 24-244, 24-245, 24-248, 24-252, 24-308; 1952, c. 581; 1962, c.536; 1964, c. 593; 1970, c. 462, §§ 24.1-125, 24.1-126, 24.1-129, 24.1-218;1971, Ex. Sess., c. 247; 1973, c. 30; 1975, c. 515; 1978, c. 778; 1981, c.425; 1982, c. 650, § 24.1-126.1; 1984, c. 234; 1985, cc. 197, 458; 1987, c.349; 1993, c. 641; 1995, c. 716; 1996, cc. 72, 73; 1999, c. 725; 2000, cc.366, 451; 2003, c. 1015; 2004, c. 410; 2005, cc. 496, 539.)