On Friday, May 21, 2012 Gov. Robert F McDonell  signed a new voter-ID bill. Prior Virginia law required voters to present valid government-issued photo identification documents at the polls but people who did not have a state issued ID were allowed to sign an affidavit pledging that they were who they said they were. Now, voters can present a wider range of valid identifications, but the affidavit option is no longer part of the new law and voters without legal identification documents must vote provisionally and prove later that their vote should count.

Gov. McDonnell  issued an Executive Order calling on the Virginia state elections board to issue a new registration document to all registered voters so that  on election day this year, every Virginia voter will have at least one valid ID.  The new law allows voters to present a wider range of valid identification when they go to their assigned polling station to vote.

  A list of all valid documents should be provided with your new voter registration card. Under the new legislation and existing law, the following are acceptable forms of ID for voting: