Voter registration name change in Virginia
What Virginia requires after a legal name change, whether the DMV change carries across, and when the book closes. Checked 25 July 2026.
Updating the name on your Virginia voter registration is free.
Virginia lets you do it online.
Virginia says a name change made at the DMV does reach your voter registration.
Registration closes 11 days before an election to vote a regular ballot; after that you can register through election day and vote provisionally.
What Virginia Department of Elections publishes
| What | Value | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee | Free | Virginia Department of Elections | |
| Change it online? | Yes | Virginia Department of Elections | |
| Does the DMV do it for you? | Yes | Virginia Department of Elections | |
| Registration closes | 11 days before That figure applies to vote a regular ballot; after that you can register through election day and vote provisionally. | Virginia Department of Elections | |
| Run by | Virginia Department of Elections | Virginia Department of Elections |
A currently registered Virginia voter can update a registration entirely online, and Virginia also lets you update your information with the DMV when a name changes. A voter who misses the 11-day deadline can still register through election day and cast a provisional ballot.
Do this after your license, not before
Federal motor-voter law puts a voter registration block on most state license applications, so the DMV visit is often the moment a registration is updated too. Whether it actually propagates is a state-by-state answer, and it is the one worth checking rather than assuming — arriving at a polling place under a name the roll does not hold is a problem you cannot fix on the day.
Your registration should match the name you give at the polling place, and it should match the ID you present if Virginia asks for one.
Virginia voter registration questions
- Does changing my name at the Virginia DMV update my voter registration?
- Yes. Virginia says a name change made at the DMV reaches your voter registration.
- Does it cost anything to update a Virginia voter registration?
- No. Updating a voter registration is free in every state that registers voters.
All Virginia name change requirements · Virginia DMV
Everything above is free. Everything else on the list is the work.
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