How to Vote in the U.S. Virgin Islands' 2024 Elections

En español

• State primary: Saturday, Aug. 3
• General election: Tuesday, Nov. 5

• Absentee voting: All registered voters can request an absentee ballot without providing a reason.

• Early voting: Available at early voting centers. Check with your Election System office or visit vivote.gov for details.

• Voting at the polls: Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. You won’t need to show ID, unless you’re a first-time voter.
  

Legislation passed in 2022 allows all voters to cast an absentee ballot if they choose. Previously, voters needed a reason to vote absentee, such as an illness or disability.

Register to vote in person:

• In person: Register in person at an Election System office location, and provide an original version of acceptable identification, which includes a birth certificate, U.S. passport, military discharge form or naturalization certificate.

• Online and by mail registration are not available. 

After registration, you will be issued a U.S. Virgin Islands voter ID card, which can be used as identification at the polls. Confirm your registration with the voter lookup tool. You must be registered no later than 30 days prior to an election.

Voters cannot register to vote on Election Day in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Only voters who have declared membership with a political party can vote in that party’s primary. You can change your political affiliation up to 30 days before an election.

For the state primary, all voters may request an absentee ballot:

• Online: Download a copy of the absentee ballot application at vivote.gov. The completed form can be emailed or faxed to esviballotstx@vi.gov or 340-773-4523 for St. Croix, and esviballotsttj@vi.gov or 340-776-2391 for St. Thomas and St. John.

• In person: Visit an Election System office. It’s preferred, but not required, that you go to the one in your district.  

• By phone: To request that an absentee ballot be mailed to you, call 340-773-1021 for St. Croix, 340-774-3107 for St. Thomas, or 340-776-6535 for St. John (open Tuesdays and Thursdays). Or call the Election System of the Virgin Islands at 877-773-1021. 

Completed absentee ballots can be mailed at no cost or hand-delivered to your Election System office.

• By mail: The completed ballot must arrive at your Election System office no more than 10 days after the election to be counted.  

• By email: Email your completed ballot by 5 p.m. on Election Day.

• In person: Drop your ballot off by 7 p.m. on Election Day at your Election System office.

If you have an emergency or are confined to a bed in a nursing home or hospital, you may send a representative to pick up an absentee ballot for you on Election Day.

To check the status of your ballot, call the St. Croix office at 340-773-1021, the St. Thomas office at 340-774-3107, or (on Tuesdays and Thursdays) the St. John office at 340-776-6535.

You can vote at an early voting center in your district. Visit vivote.gov for details. Early voting begins Tuesday, July 16, and the last day for early voting is Tuesday, July 23.

State Primary
Cast your ballot at your local polling place. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and only first-time voters need to show identification to vote.

Acceptable forms of ID include a U.S. passport, a U.S. Virgin Islands driver’s license, a government-issued ID or a U.S. Virgin Islands voter ID card.

You won’t need to show identification unless you are a first-time voter.

• Voters with vision impairments or physical disabilities may bring one person into the voting booth to provide assistance.

• If a voter needs help after entering the voting booth, two election officers may provide assistance and will leave the voting machine before voting takes place.

• Voters with a disability are given preference for using the ExpressVote machine, which is designed for those with impairments.

Key races

• U.S. House: one seat, nonvoting delegate
• State Legislature: 15 seats

Sample ballots will be available at vivote.gov.


Editor’s note: This guide was originally published Jan. 8, 2024, and has been updated with new information about voting in the 2024 elections.

Maura Kelly Lannan is a writer, editor and producer for AARP who covers federal and state policy. She has worked as a reporter for the Associated Press, the Chicago Tribune and the Waterbury, Connecticut, Republican-American. She also has written for Bloomberg Government, The Boston Globe and other publications. 

• Follow AARP's political coverage at aarp.org/elections  
• Keep up with local events and AARP advocacy efforts at states.aarp.org/virgin-islands