Victory: Virginia Halts Unlawful Rejection of College Student Voter Registration Applications

WASHINGTON - Today, in a significant victory for Virginia college students, a federal district court judge approved a consent decree requiring Virginia officials to accept certain voter registration applications completed by college students. Previously, students' voter registration applications were being rejected due to immaterial mistakes or omissions. The consent decree can be found here.

The consent decree, adopted by the Virginia State Board of Elections to resolve a lawsuit brought by the NAACP, prohibits officials from rejecting registration applications submitted by eligible students that omit unnecessary details like a dorm room number or campus mailbox number. Officials across Virginia have been rejecting large numbers of student applications for this reason in recent years, including during the leadup to the November 2025 statewide election.

"This consent decree is a major win for Virginia voters," said John Powers, Legal Director at Advancement Project.  "For too long, too many Virginia college students have been disenfranchised due to unnecessary and burdensome restrictions.  This agreement removes those barriers and mandates important reforms that will allow more students to register successfully and cast ballots that count."

The consent decree mandates the following:

(1) Virginia students who live on campus will not have their registration applications rejected for providing an address that does not include a dorm name, dorm room number, campus mailing address, or campus mailbox number, when that information is not needed to place students in a precinct.

(2) Virginia officials must provide guidance and training to local registrars on this requirement and on how to handle student voter registration applications.  

(3) Officials must amend Virginia's voter registration application to make clear what address information is needed for people living in student dormitories and other group housing.

(4) Virginia officials must engage in rulemaking efforts to codify the new registration requirements in the Virginia Administrative Code.

The consent decree is part of a settlement agreement resolving a lawsuit initially brought by the NAACP Virginia State Conference last year against Virginia election officials. NAACP Virginia and Advancement Project filed the case shortly before the November 2025 general election. Their investigation found that college students across Virginia, including those at HBCUs such as Norfolk State University and Virginia State University, were being kept off the voter rolls because their registration applications did not include certain campus address-related details - even though providing that information is not required under Virginia law.

"This agreement makes clear that eligible voters cannot be denied access to the ballot based on technicalities that have nothing to do with their eligibility," said Anthony P. Ashton, Senior Associate General Counsel at NAACP. "College students in Virginia - particularly those at historically Black colleges and universities - have faced unnecessary and unlawful barriers to voter registration. This consent decree sends a strong message that those practices will not stand. The NAACP will continue to fight to ensure that every eligible voter, regardless of age or address, has a fair and equal opportunity to participate in our democracy."

The NAACP Virginia State Conference has long worked to eliminate barriers to the ballot box and ensure equitable access to voting for all Virginians. Its victory in this case vindicates the organization's commitment to protecting the rights of young voters and preventing systemic disenfranchisement.