DIVISION OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
VIRGINIA LEGISLATIVE ISSUE BRIEF
Number 26 December 2001

2002 SESSION: General Assembly Issues

Business - Campaigns/Elections - Constitutional Amendments - Courts -
Education - Finance/Taxation - Health - Local Government -
Mental Health - Natural Resources - Transportation - Virginians with Disabilities

Campaigns/Elections

Campaign Finance

A "Stand by Your Ad" bill, patterned after North Carolina's law, will give the legislature a chance to require sponsors of campaign ads to show their faces and identify themselves more prominently on their campaign ads. The measure was defeated last year but was a 2001 election issue and almost certainly will be introduced in 2002.

Legislation will likely surface as well on contribution limits, random audits of campaign reports, mandated electronic filing of campaign reports, and other refinements in Virginia's Campaign Finance Disclosure Act. A joint subcommittee on campaign finance reform has conducted public hearings around the state and heard testimony on these issues.

Elections

The Joint Subcommittee on Virginia's Election Process and Voting Technologies met extensively during the interim and will be submitting a number of suggested legislative and budget proposals. Issues on which the subcommittee reached agreement at its final November 29 meeting include:

Revisions in Virginia's recount procedures to define and narrow the scope of a recount and set standards for determining the voter's intent when it is necessary to hand count ballots.
Measures to deal with emergency situations necessitating the postponement of an election.
Funding for a streamlined registration application at Division of Motor Vehicles locations.
Strengthening the voting equipment certification process and continuing the use of a variety of certified voting equipment options among which localities can choose the most appropriate for their needs.
Limited funding for local grants to provide for voting equipment options tailored to the disabled.
Revisions and clarifications in the absentee voting laws.
A number of changes to improve enforcement and administration of the election laws.

Post-redistricting

The General Assembly completed its redistricting work on state legislative and congressional redistricting plans by July and the three plans have been cleared by the Department of Justice following submission of the plans for review under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

One court case is pending—West vs. Gilmore, Circuit Court for the City of Salem. The trial of the case ended in September and the Commonwealth awaits the court's final decision.

Two Senate vacancies occurred this year with more than two years remaining in each term. The 14th District vacancy was filled from the new 14th District, and the 25th District vacancy is scheduled to be filled December 18 from the new 25th District. Legislation will most probably be introduced to require such vacancies to be filled from the "old" district—that is, the geographic district that elected the person whose vacancy is being filled.

Mary R. Spain

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