Elections and Voter Registration

The Office of the General Registrar is moving!

The Goochland County Office of the General Registrar is moving from the old location at 1800 Sandy Hook Rd suite 220 to the new location of 1876 Sandy Hook Rd. The Office will begin operations at the new location July 13, 2020.

Next Electoral Board Meetings 

Beginning July 13, 2020 all Meetings will be held at the Goochland County Office of the General Registrar’s new location, 1876 Sandy Hook Rd, Goochland, VA 23063 unless noted. 

July 14, 2020- 6pm- Conference Room A Agenda

June 1 Minutes for approval

June 24 Minutes for approval

The minutes from each meeting will be archived here after approval at the following meeting

Voter Registration 

To be eligible to register to vote in Virginia a person must: 

  • Be a resident of Virginia (a person who has come to Virginia for temporary purposes and intends to return to another state is not considered a resident for voting purposes).
  • Be a U.S. Citizen.
  • Be 18 years old (any person who is 17 years old and will be 18 years of age at the next general election shall be permitted to register in advance and also vote in any intervening primary or special election).
  • Not be registered and plan to vote in another state.
  • Not currently declared mentally incompetent by a court of law.
  • If convicted of a felony, your right to vote must have been restored.

Apply to register to vote or update your current registration online here. 

Or you can download and print the Virginia Voter Registration application (PDF). Your completed application may be submitted by mail or brought to our Voter Registration Office. 

No Excuse Absentee Voting

Beginning July 1, 2020 any registered voter can vote absentee without having to provide any reason or supporting information!

In these uncertain times one thing is still certain, the Office of the General Registrar’s commitment to continue to provide premier services to the citizens of Goochland County.

Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the Virginia Department of Elections as well as the Goochland County Registrar’s Office encourage all voters to protect their health and the health of others by voting from home. 

Every voter that votes absentee by mail is one less voter in line on Election Day, limiting the risk of spreading the virus within the community and protecting those that serve as Officers of Election at the polls.

Ballots for the November 3, 2020 November General Election will be available Friday, September 18, but you can request them right now! The last day to request an Absentee Ballot to be sent to you is Friday, October 23.

Absentee Ballot Applications can be returned in person at the Office of the General Registrar located at 1800 Sandy Hook Rd, Goochland, VA 23063, by mail to the General Registrar at PO Box 1013, Goochland, VA 23063, by fax to 804-556-6323 or by email to vote@goochlandva.us. 

You can also apply for an Absentee Ballot online at https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation. 

In-Person Absentee Voting will be available at the Office of the General Registrar during normal office hours on weekdays beginning Friday, September 18 and continuing until Friday, October 30. The office will also be open for Absentee Voting on Saturday, October 24 and Saturday, October 31 from 9am until 5pm.


Election Day!

The November General Election will be held November 3, 2020 in Goochland County. All Precincts will be open from 6am to 7pm. If you are in line at 7pm you will be allowed to vote. Here are some helpful hints to make sure things go smoothly and quickly:

Check your voter registration. You can check the status of your voter registration using the citizen portal at the Department of Elections website here: https://www.elections.virginia.gov/citizen-portal/. Make sure you are registered at the correct address and with the correct name. Any confusion can make it difficult to find your name on the Poll Book and lead to delays.

Know where you vote. You can check where you vote using the citizen portal at the Department of Elections website here: https://www.elections.virginia.gov/citizen-portal/. You have to vote at your designated polling place. If you go to the wrong polling place you will be directed to the correct polling place which will lead to delays.

Know what is on the ballot. Do not let there be any surprises at the Polls on Election Day. You can view a sample ballot on our Election Information and Sample Ballot page here. Knowing who you are going to vote for will allow you to mark your ballot quickly and be on your way.

Know how to mark a ballot. Simply fill in the bubble next to the candidate of your choice. Making any other mark, such as an x or check may result in the machine not reading your mark and your vote not being counted.

Bring ID. Some form of identification is required to vote in Virginia. Here is the list of approved forms of ID: 

  • voter confirmation documents
  • valid Virginia driver’s license 
  • valid United States passport, or any other identification issued by the Commonwealth, one of its political subdivisions, or the United States
  • any valid student identification card issued by any institution of higher education located in the Commonwealth or any private school located in the Commonwealth 
  • any valid student identification card issued by any institution of higher education located in any other state or territory of the United States
  • any valid employee identification card containing a photograph of the voter and issued by an employer of the voter in the ordinary course of the employer’s business
  • a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document containing the name and address of the voter

Become an Election Officer

To become an Election Officer one must:

  • Be registered to vote in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
  • Be 18 years of age. 
  • Be willing to start work at 5:00 AM and stay until the precinct is closed and cleaned up (usually about 8:30 PM).
  • You will receive a stipend for you day of volunteer service.

 If you are interested in becoming an Election Officer for Goochland County, please apply here.  We will be in contact shortly.