You will be greeted and asked in which primary election you wish to vote? If "Republican," you'll be handed a slip of paper to sign, which attests that you are a Republican. This will be collected before you are given your ballot. Signs will be posted in each polling place about the statement.

Sample ballots for both parties will be posted in the polling place and available at the first table. Here are the sample ballots for the City of Charlottesville. The ballot order of the candidates is the same in all Virginia localities. It was determined by a drawing by the State Board of Elections.

At the pollbook table, each voter is required by law to state their name and address and show a photo ID from the state's list of acceptable photo IDs for voting.

You will then be asked in which primary you wish to vote, and will turn in your signed statement if voting in the Republican primary. The officer of election is required to repeat (to confirm, and also so that any authorized observers from the campaigns can hear) your name, address and choice of primary before marking your name on the pollbook for that party's primary.

Your choice is therefore made in public, and your identity as a voter in the specific primary is available to the political parties.

In Charlottesville, Albemarle and other localities using optical scan ballots, you will take your paper ballot to a voting booth. Mark your selection and then take your completed ballot to the scanner and insert it, where your choice will be counted. If there's a problem with the scan, an official will be available to assist you, without viewing your ballot.

Some localities use electronic voting methods. Follow the instructions for your voting equipment. If you have any questions about how to use the equipment, ask an election official.

Dave Sagarin (January 15, 2016)
(with considerable assistance from Rosanna Bencoach, Charlottesville Registrar)