Vote Absentee By Mail

We begin mailing absentee ballots out to voters with valid requests on file 45 days prior to Election Day.  We stop mailing absentee ballots out to voters 10 days prior to Election Day; our last batch of absentee ballots goes out by 5:00 PM on the 11th day before Election Day.

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Apply to Vote by Mail

Using an Online Application

Using Virginia Absentee Ballot Forms & Submitting via Mail or Email:

  • You may also download and complete the Virginia Absentee Ballot Application Form or the Virginia Permanent Absentee Voter Single Election Change Form (ONLY if you already have an active ongoing absentee ballot application on file).  
  • To request that an absentee ballot be sent to you for one election only OR at an address other than the residence at which you are currently registered to vote, please SKIP Section 4 (or mark the box labeled "No") and complete Sections 1-3, 6, & 8.
  • To request that an absentee ballot be sent to your residential address for all future elections, please complete Section 4, SKIP Section 3, and then complete sections 1-2, 5-6, and 8.  If you do not specify in which single political party's future primary elections you wish to participate by selecting EITHER Democratic Party OR Republican Party in section 4, if you select both parties or if you select one party AND "I do not wish to receive ballots for primary elections," you will receive ballots for general elections only.  You will not receive primary ballots unless or until you submit a new request with a clear indication of in which single party's primary election you wish to vote. 
  • Return your completed application to the Roanoke County Dept. of Elections by mail to P.O. Box 20884 Roanoke, VA 24018, You may also email your signed and completed application to us at elections@roanokecountyva.gov, fax it to us at (540) 772-2115 (please call 30 minutes later to ensure your fax was received), or drop your application off in person at our office located at 900 Chestnut St. Vinton, VA 24179.

Deadline to Request an Absentee Ballot by Mail
Completed absentee ballot applications must be received no later than 5:00 PM, 11 days prior to Election Day; the deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail for the upcoming election is Friday, October 27 at 5:00 PM.

IMPORTANT NOTICES! 

  • Witness Signature No Longer Required on Envelope B – BUT YOB AND SSN-4 REQUIREMENT ADDED!
    • Virginia’s General Assembly removed the witness signature requirement from Envelope B, but instituted a requirement that all voters casting their ballot absentee by mail must now provide their year of birth and the last four digits of their Social Security Numbers.         
    • Voters who were never issued a Social Security Number will be asked to mark a checkbox indicating the same and to provide their Virginia Voter ID # instead.  
    • All voters WILL still need to provide their full legal name, the residential address at which they are registered to vote in Roanoke County, and their signature on Envelope B.
  • Marked Ballots Must Be Returned by the Voter Who Requested the Ballot
    Marked ballots may only be returned directly to Elections Staff by the individual voter who requested the ballot and ID will be required. However, voters may return ballots via the Voted Ballot Drop Bags available during office hours without having to show their ID.

Drop Off Your Marked Absentee Ballot In Person

Ballots may be returned in person at our office in Vinton or our satellite office at the Brambleton Center during the dates and times listed under the Early In Person Voting section.

Mail Your Marked Absentee Ballot

Your ballot must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by our office no later than 12:00 noon on the Friday following Election Day in order to be counted. Mail marked ballots to the Roanoke County Dept. of Elections at either of the following addresses:

    900 Chestnut Street             P.O. Box 20884
      Vinton, VA 24179            Roanoke, VA 24018

Return Your Marked Ballot on Election Day

Return your marked ballot at ANY Roanoke County polling place open from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM or at the Roanoke County Dept. of Elections (900 Chestnut St. Vinton, VA 24179) between 6:00 AM and 7:00 PM – just ask for the Voted Ballot Drop Bag.

Additional Information About Voting Absentee by Mail

Visit the Virginia Department of Elections’ Voter Information Portal to:

  • Confirm that your absentee ballot application was submitted/received (if returning your application by mail, please remember to allow at least 5-7 business days for it to arrive).
  • Check your absentee ballot application’s approval status (you will only receive notification by mail if our office cannot approve your absentee ballot application as submitted; Virginia law does not require and Virginia’s voter registration system does not permit our office to send notice of each approved application).
  • See whether our office has mailed your absentee ballot out to you or staff has received and checked in your voted ballot.