                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

HOW BALLOTS MARKED AND RETURNED (§ 24.2-707)

A. On receipt of a mailed absentee ballot, the voter shall (i) open the sealed
envelope marked &#8220;ballot within&#8221; and (ii) mark and refold the ballot,
as provided in &#xA7;&#xA7; 24.2-644 and 24.2-646 without assistance and without
making known how he marked the ballot, except as provided by &#xA7; 24.2-704.
			After the voter has marked his absentee ballot, he shall (a) enclose the
ballot in the envelope provided for that purpose, (b) seal the envelope, (c)
fill in and sign the statement printed on the back of the envelope, (d) enclose
the ballot envelope and any required assistance form within the envelope
directed to the general registrar, and (e) seal that envelope. A voter&#8217;s
failure to provide in the statement on the back of the envelope his full middle
name or his middle initial shall not be a material omission, rendering his
ballot void, unless the voter failed to provide in the statement on the back of
the envelope his full first and last name. A voter&#8217;s failure to provide
the date, or any part of the date, including the year, on which he signed the
statement printed on the back of the envelope shall not be considered a material
omission and shall not render his ballot void.

B. A mailed absentee ballot shall be returned (i) by mail to the office of the
general registrar, (ii) by the voter in person to the general registrar, or
(iii) to a drop-off location established pursuant to &#xA7; 24.2-707.1. For
purposes of this subsection, &#8220;mail&#8221; includes a delivery by a
commercial delivery service but does not include delivery by a personal courier
service or other individual except as provided by &#xA7;&#xA7; 24.2-703.2 and
24.2-705.

C. Failure to follow the procedures set forth in this section shall render the
applicant&#8217;s ballot void.

HISTORY: Code 1950, §§ 24-334, 24-337; 1956, c. 525; 1970, c. 462, §
24.1-232; 1972, c. 620; 1973, c. 30; 1974, c. 428; 1975, c. 515; 1978, c. 778;
1981, c. 425; 1993, c. 641; 1996, c. 393; 1997, cc. 429, 450; 2001, cc. 617,
624; 2002, cc. 785, 819; 2003, cc. 478, 1015; 2006, c. 438; 2014, cc. 453, 574,
575; 2015, cc. 313, 644, 645; 2019, cc. 668, 669; 2020, c. 289; 2021, Sp. Sess.
I, cc. 235, 471, 522; 2023, c. 785.