Your ballot, explained.

Heard this? Here are the facts

Each claim gets a plain status: True, False, or Promised, not law.

• Heard this? "In Virginia you can't vote without a photo ID." False
  The facts: You show an acceptable ID, and an expired Virginia DMV license counts. If you don't have one, you can sign an ID Confirmation Statement and vote a regular ballot. If you don't sign it, you can vote a provisional ballot. source: elections.virginia.gov (Department of Elections)
• Heard this? "It's too late to register for Nov. 3." False
  The facts: The deadline to register or update your address is Oct. 23, 2026 (11 days before the election). After that, you can still go to your local registrar's office, register and vote a provisional ballot. source: elections.virginia.gov (Department of Elections)
• Heard this? "A mailed ballot only counts if it arrives by Election Day." False
  The facts: In Virginia a mailed ballot counts if it is postmarked on or before Election Day and reaches your registrar by noon on the third day after (Friday, Nov. 6, 2026). You can also drop it off by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Requests for a mailed ballot are due by 5 p.m. Oct. 23. source: elections.virginia.gov (Department of Elections) source: alexandriava.gov
• Heard this? "If you have a felony conviction in Virginia, you can never vote again." False
  The facts: Today, a felony conviction takes away your right to vote until the governor restores it. The governor's office restores rights for people who have finished their prison time; more than 66,000 people had their rights restored by July 2026. Question 3 on this ballot would make that automatic on release from prison, but it is not law unless voters pass it. source: elections.virginia.gov (Department of Elections) source: whro.org
• Heard this? "Virginia's new congressional map is in effect for this election." False
  The facts: Voters approved a redistricting amendment in a special election earlier in 2026, but the Supreme Court of Virginia struck it down in May 2026 and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to step in. The 2021 U.S. House map is used on Nov. 3. source: virginiamercury.com source: scotusblog.com
• Heard this? "You'll get $5,000 after the election." Promised, not law
  The facts: On Sept. 9, 2026 the President promised every adult $5,000, a "Trump Dividend", if Republicans keep both the House and the Senate. It is a campaign promise that depends on the election results; no law or payment exists today. Congress would have to pass it, and AP estimates it would cost over $1 trillion. Is this legal? Experts disagree. Richard Painter, chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, wrote: "No, Mr. President you can't offer voters $5000 if the Republicans win the House and Senate." Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner called it a completed crime under the federal vote-buying law (18 U.S.C. 597). Election attorney John Day told AP it is legal because it would go to everyone regardless of how they vote: "This is a campaign promise." Rice University political scientist Mark Jones: "It's unsavory, but it's legal." Your ballot is secret, so no payment can depend on how you personally vote. source: kold.com source: internazionale.it source: newsweek.com source: ibtimes.co.uk source: katv.com
• Heard this? "Someone can legally pay you to vote, or to vote a certain way." False
  The facts: No. Paying or offering to pay anyone to vote or to register to vote in a federal election is a federal crime (52 U.S.C. 10307(c)). Accepting the payment is a crime too. source: law.cornell.edu
• Heard this? "The $1 million-a-day giveaway in 2024 paid people for voting." False
  The facts: That contest was open only to registered voters in seven swing states, and entering meant signing a petition, not voting. The group's lawyer told a Pennsylvania court the winners were "not chosen by chance". The judge let it continue. source: aljazeera.com

Checked against official sources, court records and news reports. We update this as new claims go around.