When you vote in a Virginia Presidential Primary, you are asked what ballot you want – it may seem like you are being asked for your party identification, but that’s not really the case because in Virginia we do not register by party. In 2016 both major parties had Presidential primaries in Virginia, so you would have been asked which of the two ballots you wanted. Virginia is an “open primary” state, which means that voters are free to select the ballot of any party, but they can only select one ballot.
In 2020, only the Democrats are holding primaries; the Republicans will hold a state Convention. Voters in the March 3 Virginia Presidential Primary will only have the option of the Democratic ballot. That ballot will include the names of all Democratic candidates, even those who have now dropped out of the race. To see where the remaining candidates stand on the issues, go to LWV VOTE411 website, which is https://www.vote411.org/.
There is no separate voter registration for the primaries, but if you are not already registered, the deadline for primary registration was February 10.
Remember that you will need photo ID to vote.