General Assembly>Division of Legislative Services>Publications>Session Summaries>2003>Elections

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Elections

Passed

P HB1422

Elections; assistants to and employees of general registrars; officers of election. Provides that an unpaid or paid assistant registrar or an officer of election must be a qualified voter of the Commonwealth but does not need to be a qualified voter of the locality in which he serves as an assistant registrar or officer of election. Under current law, only paid assistant registrars are not required to be qualified voters of the locality in which they serve.
Patron - Callahan

P HB1437

Printing ballots after the death, withdrawal, or disqualification of a political party nominee. Provides that notice of the withdrawal or disqualification of a party nominee must be given to election officials at least 60, rather than 45, days before the general election in order to have ballots for the election either printed or reprinted with the names of any replacement party candidate or new candidates who qualify for the ballot.
Patron - Cosgrove

P HB1508

Voter petition requirements for independent candidates, primary candidates, and groups supporting presidential candidates. Deletes the requirement now applicable to petitions for candidates for statewide offices that a voter's signature on the petition must be witnessed by a qualified voter who is a resident of the same or a contiguous congressional district as the voter signing the petition. With this change, the witness may be a qualified voter and resident in any congressional district in the Commonwealth.
Patron - Callahan

P HB1542

Campaign finance disclosure; separate candidate committee account to comply with federal campaign finance law requirements. Permits a candidate to maintain a separate account from his campaign account to demonstrate compliance with federal law requirements such as contribution limits and prohibitions against corporate donations. The proposal is designed to allow federal candidates and officeholders to support state and local candidates and establish their compliance with federal law restrictions on campaign contributions. The bill requires the filing of all state-required campaign finance disclosure reports on a consolidated basis for both the basic campaign account and the special federal activity account.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

P HB1586

Basic requirements for political campaign advertisements. Modifies the size requirement for the disclosure statement that must be printed on "print media" political campaign advertisements under the "Stand by Your Ad" law enacted in 2002. The law as enacted requires that the disclosure statement must constitute five percent of the height of any "print media" advertisement. The bill provides that the disclosure statement shall be "displayed in a conspicuous manner." The bill also specifically includes bumper stickers in the definition of "print media" and exempts novelty items such as pens, pencils, magnets, and buttons from the disclosure statement requirement. This bill contains an emergency clause and incorporates HBs 1551, 1692, and 2464.
Patron - Cole

P HB1587

Retention of cancelled voter registration records. Reduces the current four-year retention requirement to two years except for registrations cancelled because the voter has moved to another state or because of changes submitted by the voter.
Patron - Cole

P HB1589

Absentee ballot applications and procedures. Provides that an applicant for an absentee ballot who applies in person when the printed ballot for the election is available may choose, if at least five days remain before the election, to have the absentee ballot mailed to him rather than voting the absentee ballot in person at the general registrar's office or other authorized site. Current law specifies that an applicant who applies in person for an absentee ballot must vote in person at that time and does not allow election officials to mail the ballot to the applicant.
Patron - Cole

P HB1590

Notice of times and locations for registration. Deletes the requirement that the general registrar shall give notice each January of the schedule for voter registration times and locations for the calendar year by posting the notice at the courthouse and publishing it in a newspaper with general circulation in the county or city. The bill retains the requirements for published notice of the registration times and locations on the final day to register before each election. The bill adds publication on the official website for the county or city as a means of giving notice for certain additional registration sites and times.
Patron - Cole

P HB1643

Polling places; prohibited area; emergency situations. Permits the local electoral board, with the concurrence of the State Board, to modify the distance requirements that define the prohibited area around a polling place in the event of a state of emergency declared by the Governor or President.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

P HB1644

Federal campaign and political committees; comity. Provides for the regulation of federal campaign and political committees to the extent that federal law regulates Virginia campaign and political committees. The State Corporation Commission and the state Department of Taxation are given responsibilities for the enforcement of this law.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

P HB1693

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act; mandatory electronic filing of reports; political committees. Requires political committees (including PACs and political party committees subject to the Act's reporting requirements) to file campaign finance reports electronically in accordance with State Board of Elections standards. Exceptions are made for county or city political party committees that file reports locally and for political committees that do not accept contributions or make expenditures in excess of $10,000 in any calendar year. The bill provides for a filing deadline extension in the event of a failure in the computer and electronic filing system.
Patron - McQuigg

P HB1854

Absentee ballot procedures. Clarifies instructions on the absentee ballot return envelope regarding the absentee voter's full name and Virginia residence address.
Patron - Lingamfelter

P HB1862

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act; certain forms, filings, and reporting requirements. Provides that candidates who seek reelection to the same office are not required to close out their campaign account and file new papers for their campaign for reelection to the same office but shall file their reports for each election cycle. An election cycle approximates the term of office.
Patron - O'Bannon

P HB2145

National Voter Registration Act Coordinating Committee. Abolishes the National Voter Registration Act Coordinating Committee. The Committee was formed in 1999 as a result of a JLARC study of the State Board of Elections. No recommendation has ever emerged from the Committee because of the independent action initiated by the State Board of Elections and other agencies to resolve problems relating to implementation of the National Voter Registration Act. The duties previously envisioned for the Committee are currently being carried out by staff in the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Resources. This bill is identical to legislation recommended by the Joint Subcommittee Studying the Operations, Practices, Duties, and Funding of the Commonwealth's Agencies, Boards, Commissions, Councils, and Other Governmental Entities pursuant to HJR 159 (2002). This bill is identical to SB 750.
Patron - Rust

P HB2196

Campaign finance disclosure reports; filing schedule for certain persons and political committees. Revises current filing schedule for political committees. In lieu of the present schedule of six reports per year, the bill requires semi-annual reports and requires pre-election and large contribution reports, if the committee is active with respect to the specific election.
Patron - Jones, S.C.

P HB2197

House of Delegates districts. Makes technical adjustments in the House of Delegates lines to conform legislative lines to new election district and precinct lines in several localities. All districts remain within the 2.0 percent population deviation standard followed in the 2001 redistricting. Adjustments are made within the Counties of Albemarle, Amherst, Bedford, Brunswick, Caroline, Fluvanna, Hanover, King William, and Prince William and the Cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Hopewell, Norfolk, and Suffolk. Districts 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 31, 51, 54, 55, 57, 58, 59, 61, 62, 64, 74, 75, 76, 77, 79, 87, 89, 97, 98, and 99 are affected. This bill contains an emergency clause and incorporates HBs 1773 and 2240.
Patron - Jones, S.C.

P HB2198

Conditional votes; identification requirement. Provides that a voter who is not listed on the precinct registered voter list and seeks to cast a conditional ballot must provide any one of the following forms of identification: his Commonwealth of Virginia voter registration card, his social security card, his valid Virginia driver's license, or any other identification card issued by a government agency; or any valid employee identification card containing a photograph of the voter. It shall not be sufficient for the person to sign a statement that he is the named registered voter who he claims to be, in lieu of presenting one of the listed forms of identification. The bill also covers procedures for electoral board action and election contests with respect to such ballots.
Patron - Jones, S.C.

P HB2304

Political committees advocating passage or defeat of referenda; disclosure. Requires a political committee to comply with the requirements of the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act and file a statement of organization and contribution and expenditure reports if the committee makes expenditures in a calendar year to advocate the passage or defeat of (i) a statewide referendum in excess of $10,000, (ii) a referendum held in two or more counties and cities in excess of $5,000, and (iii) a referendum held in a single county or city in excess of $1,000. The bill modifies the requirements for the statement of organization, requires a separate account be maintained for expenditures related to a referendum, and exempts advertisements by such committees from certain disclosure statement requirements.
Patron - Devolites

P HB2568

Presidential primaries. Sets the presidential primary date as the second, rather than the last, Tuesday in February. This bill is identical to SB 959.
Patron - Van Landingham

P HB2635

Recounts and contests of elections; presidential elections. Revises the procedures for a recount and contest following a presidential election to shorten the timetable for both proceedings. The revised timetable will permit completion of the proceedings in time to comply with the federal law deadline for states to complete such procedures. Under that federal law, if the state law provides for a final decision on a presidential election at least six days before the date the electors are to meet, the state's determination is conclusive and cannot be challenged. The bill does not affect recount and contest proceedings in other elections.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

P HB2710

Solicitation of signatures for nominating petitions by electoral board members and staff. Prohibits the solicitation of signatures for nominating petitions for candidates for public office by electoral board members and staff in any building owned or leased by the county or city served by the electoral board.
Patron - Hugo

P HB2835

Nominations and ballots for presidential elections. Extends the statutory deadline for a political party to file the names of its presidential and vice-presidential candidates and electors with the State Board of Elections if its national convention is being held after the deadline. The present deadline is the seventy-fourth day before the election (August 20, 2004).
Patron - Jones, S.C.

P HB2836

Campaign finance disclosure reports, failure to file and late filings, and exceptions. Authorizes the Secretary of the State Board of Elections to extend filing deadlines for a reasonable period for any candidate who serves as his own treasurer and is called to active duty during a reporting period.
Patron - Crittenden

P SB702

Special elections to fill vacancies in offices; notice of election. Provides that the secretary of the electoral board of each county or city participating in a special election to fill a vacancy may provide public notice of the special election by posting the writ on the official website for the locality as an additional, alternative means of public notice in lieu of either posting copies of the writ in 10 public places or publishing the writ in a newspaper.
Patron - Howell

P SB750

National Voter Registration Act Coordinating Committee. Abolishes the National Voter Registration Act Coordinating Committee. The Committee was formed in 1999 as a result of a JLARC study of the State Board of Elections. No recommendation has ever emerged from the Committee because of the independent action initiated by the State Board of Elections and other agencies to resolve problems relating to implementation of the National Voter Registration Act. The duties previously envisioned for the Committee are currently being carried out by staff in the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Resources. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee Studying the Operations, Practices, Duties, and Funding of the Commonwealth's Agencies, Boards, Commissions, Councils, and Other Governmental Entities pursuant to HJR 159 (2002). This bill is identical to HB 2145.
Patron - O'Brien

P SB792

Senatorial districts. Makes adjustments in certain senatorial district boundaries in order to conform the Senate lines to new local election precinct and district lines and avoid splitting the new local precincts between senatorial districts. The bill continues to name 2000 census precincts in order to be consistent with the district descriptions for all other districts as found in § 24.2-303.1. Boundary line adjustments are made within Brunswick, Buckingham, Fairfax, Goochland, and York Counties and the Cities of Franklin, Hampton, Hopewell, and Suffolk. Technical adjustments affect the First, Second, Third, Tenth, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fifteenth, Sixteenth, Eighteenth, Twenty-fifth, Thirty-fifth, Thirty-seventh, and Thirty-ninth Districts. All districts are within the plus or minus 2 percent deviation from total population equality standard used in drawing new districts in 2001. The bill contains an emergency clause.
Patron - Miller, K.G.

P SB959

Presidential primaries. Sets the presidential primary date as the second, rather than the last, Tuesday in February. This bill is identical to HB 2568.
Patron - Lambert

P SB1107

Elections; administration of elections and election procedures; penalties. Incorporates numerous clarifications and revisions in the election laws, including changes in the process for filling vacancies, financing local electoral boards and staffs, registering voters, nominating candidates, conducting elections, merging the registered voter lists and pollbooks, and voting absentee. This bill incorporates SB 793.
Patron - Whipple

P SJ350

Help America Vote Act of 2002. Encourages the Secretary of the State Board of Elections to lead Virginia's efforts to meet the requirements of the Help America Vote Act and obtain funds available through the Act for improving the voter registration and election process, including the development of a state plan for use of funds to improve voter registration procedures and the conduct of elections.
Patron - O'Brien

Failed

F HB1405

Party designations on the ballot. Extends to local elections, other than school board and soil and water conservation district elections, the identification of candidates by party name on the ballot. Current law provides for party identification of candidates on ballots only for federal, statewide, and General Assembly elections. The bill also allows any locality to provide by charter or by ordinance for nonpartisan elections for the governing body without any party identification on the ballot for governing body candidates. The bill explicitly provides that an endorsement by a political party of a candidate who qualifies for the ballot through the petition process is not grounds for identifying that candidate by the party's name. This bill is identical to SB 769.
Patron - Black

F HB1468

Residence addresses for purposes of voter registration and Department of Motor Vehicles applications and records. Requires individuals to provide the same residence address for purposes of voter registration and for obtaining licenses, permits, and identity cards from the Department. The bill also directs the State Board of Elections and Department to implement procedures to verify the same residence address is shown on the voter registration system and Department records. The bill will become law on January 1, 2005.
Patron - Purkey

F HB1551

Basic requirements for political campaign advertisements. Modifies the size requirement for the disclosure statement that must be printed on "print media" political campaign advertisements under the "Stand by Your Ad" law enacted in 2002. The law as enacted requires that the disclosure statement must constitute five percent of the height of any "print media" advertisement. The bill provides that mass mailings, fliers, or small signs may show the disclosure statement in 12 point or larger type size as an alternative to the five percent height requirement. Signs between one and 16 feet in size may show the disclosure statement in 18 point or larger type size as an alternative. The five percent height requirement would continue to apply to other print media advertisements such as those in newspapers, in magazines, and on billboards. This bill is incorporated into HB 1586.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

F HB1588

Central absentee voter precincts; counting ballots. Permits the officers of election at a central absentee voter precinct to begin counting ballots as soon as the polls open on election day. The bill prohibits any announcement of the results until after the polls have closed. Current law prohibits any counting of ballots until the polls have closed.
Patron - Cole

F HB1608

Campaign finance disclosure; special reports of large contributions received by candidates for local offices. Requires any candidate for a constitutional or local office to report any contribution of more than $1,000 within one business day of its receipt to the local electoral board where the candidate resides.
Patron - Darner

F HB1614

Electoral College. Provides that the Commonwealth's votes in the electoral college shall be allocated by the popular vote statewide and in each congressional district. The candidates for President and Vice President who win the popular statewide vote will receive the votes of the two statewide electors and the candidate who wins the popular vote in each congressional district will receive the vote of that district's elector. Maine and Nebraska allocate electoral college votes in this manner.
Patron - Scott

F HB1692

Basic requirements for political campaign advertisements. Modifies the size requirement for the disclosure statement that must be printed on "print media" political campaign advertisements under the "Stand by Your Ad" law enacted in 2002. The law as enacted requires that the disclosure statement must constitute five percent of the height of any "print media" advertisement. The bill provides that print media other than billboards or outdoor advertising facilities may show the disclosure statement in 12 point or larger type size as an alternative to the five percent height requirement. The bill also exempts novelty items such as pens, buttons, magnets, and balloons from the disclosure statement requirement. This bill is incorporated into HB 1586.
Patron - McQuigg

F HB1773

House of Delegates districts. Makes technical adjustments in the House of Delegates lines dividing Albemarle County among the Twenty-fifth, Fifty-seventh, Fifty-eighth, and Fifty-ninth Districts in order to have the House lines coincide with the County's new magisterial district and precinct lines. The split precincts named in the bill are 2000 census precincts that technically must be split in order to pick up the new precinct lines. The respective district population deviations remain within the plus or minus 2.0 percent population deviation used in the 2001 redistricting. This bill is incorporated into HB 2197.
Patron - Van Yahres

F HB1810

Securing of election equipment and disposition of election materials following the election. Modifies current law provisions for those localities where the officers of election deliver election materials after the election to the general registrar rather than the clerk of the circuit court. The modifications provide (i) that the general registrar must retain the materials in a locked location, (ii) that the materials will be delivered to the clerk of the circuit court on the first business day following the electoral board's completion of its ascertainment of the results of the election, and (iii) that the sealed envelopes containing voting equipment keys will be delivered to the clerk with the other election materials.
Patron - Welch

F HB1818

Virginia Clean Election Act and Fund; penalties. Establishes an alternative, publicly financed, campaign financing option for candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General. A candidate may volunteer to participate and be certified for public funds after a qualifying process. A participating candidate may not accept or spend private contributions and must abide by the campaign contribution and spending restrictions set out in the Act. The bill establishes the Virginia Clean Election Commission to administer the Act and Fund. The bill sets a contribution limitation of $500 for elections for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General. The bill is based on the Maine Clean Election Act.
Patron - Scott

F HB1855

Prohibited use of public funds to support or oppose candidates or referendum questions. Prohibits state and local governmental agencies, and their officers and employees, from spending public funds to pay for advertisements to support or oppose candidates or referendum questions. The bill contains an exception to allow the use of public funds to provide neutral explanations of referendum questions pursuant to certain statutory provisions.
Patron - Lingamfelter

F HB2078

November elections for mayors and councils of cities and towns; related elections and filing deadlines. Provides that all elections for city mayors and councils will be held at the November general election. The bill modifies current law, which gives cities and towns an option whether to elect governing bodies in May or November. Towns retain that option. City and town governing body elections may be held in November in either even-numbered or odd-numbered years.
Patron - Gear

F HB2126

State Board of Elections; powers and duties; removal of local election officials. Provides (i) for 10 days' written notice and a hearing by the State Board to remove a registrar from office, (ii) for five days' written notice and a hearing to remove an electoral board member, registrar, or other election official from office because of disqualification on constitutional or statutory grounds, including failure to relinquish an incompatible office, (iii) for an immediate hearing if necessary to avoid irreparable harm to a pending election, and (iv) for an appeal by the removed party by petition to the City of Richmond Circuit Court. The bill also amends the law on court proceedings for removal of electoral board members to refer to the State Board's authority to initiate proceedings and to require removal on proof by "clear and convincing evidence of the member's failure to discharge the duties of his office in accordance with law." This bill is identical to SB 1252.
Patron - Reid

F HB2136

Electoral college. Provides that the Commonwealth's votes in the electoral college shall be allocated by the popular vote statewide and in each congressional district. The candidates for President and Vice President who win the popular statewide vote will receive the votes of the two statewide electors and the candidates who win the popular vote in each congressional district will receive the vote of that district's elector. Maine and Nebraska allocate electoral college votes in this manner.
Patron - Brink

F HB2139

Pilot program for certain uniformed and overseas citizens to transmit absentee ballots electronically and by the Internet. Permits the State Board of Elections to establish a pilot program for implementation in 2004 to allow certain uniformed and overseas voters to cast absentee ballots for federal elections via the Internet.
Patron - Brink

F HB2142

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act, record retention requirements and reviews of campaign finance disclosure reports. Provides (i) that the State Board of Elections shall review the campaign finance reports of all candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, of candidates for the General Assembly from 10 House of Delegates districts and four Senate districts, and of 10 percent of political committees reporting activity in an odd-numbered year November election; (ii) that the review shall be for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act; (iii) that the Board shall meet publicly to select on a random basis by a drawing the General Assembly districts and political committees to be reviewed; and (iv) that the campaign committee or political committee treasurer shall retain, and provide on request by the Board, the bank statements and copies of checks issued on committee depositories and receipts for campaign fund expenditures greater than $500. The bill takes effect January 1, 2005.
Patron - Brink

F HB2143

Vacancies in the House of Representatives; timing and notice requirements for special elections. Permits the Governor to call for a special election to fill two or more vacancies in the House caused by a catastrophe and to modify statutory timing and notice requirements for the special election. The bill reflects action taken by the House of Representatives calling for states to review their statutes to assure the prompt filling of vacancies in the House in the event of a catastrophe. See, H. Res. 559 (2002), United States House of Representatives.
Patron - Brink

F HB2168

House of Delegates districts. Changes a segment of the boundary between the First and Second Districts in Wise County to conform the House line to new County election district and precinct lines. The First District would be minus 2.3 percent below the ideal population. The population deviation range for the 2001 redistricting was plus or minus 2.0 percent.
Patron - Phillips

F HB2169

House of Delegates districts. Changes a segment of the boundary between the Second and Third Districts in Russell County to conform the House line to new County election district and precinct lines. The precinct line splits census blocks, contrary to the practice of not splitting blocks during the 2001 redistricting. Because of the split blocks, the exact population impact of the change cannot be determined. The Second District would be at least 2.4 percent below ideal, and could be as much as 3.3 percent below ideal. The population deviation range for the 2001 redistricting was plus or minus 2.0 percent.
Patron - Phillips

F HB2194

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act; mandatory electronic filing of reports. Requires General Assembly candidates, who receive more than $10,000 in contributions, to file campaign finance reports electronically in accordance with State Board of Elections standards; and requires political committees (including PACs and political party committees subject to the Act's reporting requirements) that receive more than $25,000 in contributions to file campaign finance reports electronically in accordance with State Board of Elections standards. This proposal incorporates recommendations of the Joint Subcommittee Studying Campaign Finance Reform pursuant to SJR 393 (2001).
Patron - Jones, S.C.

F HB2195

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act; record retention requirements and reviews of campaign finance disclosure reports. Provides that (i) the State Board of Elections shall review the campaign finance reports of candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and 10 percent of the candidates for the General Assembly selected at random; (ii) the review shall be for the purposes of (a) reconciling the balance in the campaign depository with the amounts reported in the candidate's reports of receipts and expenditures and (b) reviewing the reports for mathematical accuracy and facial completeness including the reporting of specific information required by law; (iii) the Board shall meet publicly to select by a random drawing the General Assembly candidate campaigns to review; (iv) a campaign committee shall be exempt from review if it has received less than $25,000 in contributions; and (v) the campaign treasurer shall retain, and provide on request by the Board, the bank statements and copies of checks issued on campaign depositories and receipts for campaign fund expenditures greater than $500. The bill will take effect July 1, 2004. This proposal was a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee Studying Campaign Finance Reform pursuant to SJR 393 (2001).
Patron - Jones, S.C.

F HB2199

Absentee ballot procedures; verification of voter's signature. Requires the electoral board member or general registrar who receives an absentee ballot to compare the signature of the voter on the sealed absentee ballot envelope with his signature on his voter registration application on file with the registrar. If the board member or registrar finds that the signatures are reasonably comparable, the ballot is processed. If the board member or registrar finds that the signatures are not reasonably comparable, the envelope and ballot are held for review by the electoral board at its meeting to review conditional ballots on the day after the election. If the board finds that the signatures are reasonably comparable, the ballot is counted. If the board finds that the signatures are not reasonably comparable, the ballot is not counted, the voter is notified, and the attorney for the Commonwealth is notified.
Patron - Jones, S.C.

F HB2200

Voter registration cards. Directs the State Board of Elections, by July 1, 2005, to develop and provide to every registered voter with active status on the Virginia voter registration system a new voter identification card that will contain the voter's picture, signature, and other appropriate information.
Patron - Jones, S.C.

F HB2240

House of Delegates districts. Makes technical adjustments in the House of Delegates lines dividing Caroline County among the Fifty-fourth, Ninety-seventh, and Ninety-ninth Districts in order to have the House lines coincide with the County's new magisterial district and precinct lines. The split precincts named in the bill are 2000 census precincts that technically must be split in order to pick up the new precinct lines. The adjustments shift 271 total population from the Fifty-fourth to the Ninety-seventh, 87 total population from the Fifty-fourth to the Ninety-ninth, and 44 total population from the Ninety-seventh to the Ninety-ninth. The respective district population deviations remain within the plus or minus 2.0 percent population deviation used in the 2001 redistricting. This bill is incorporated into HB 2197.
Patron - Pollard

F HB2337

Voter registration; indication of political party affiliation. Adds party affiliation to the information that an applicant is asked to provide when registering to vote. The applicant may indicate that he is an independent. Voters registered prior to July 1, 2003, will be designated as independent unless they provide a political party designation in writing to the general registrar. Voters may change their party affiliation or independent status by written notice at any time except the 28 days before an election when the registration records are closed. The bill does not change Virginia's present primary laws, and all registered voters remain eligible to participate in the primaries of any political party.
Patron - Reese

F HB2350

Hours that polls are open for voting. Adds one hour to the time that the polls are open for voting by moving the closing time from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The bill also makes conforming changes to absentee voting laws.
Patron - Hull

F HB2382

Redistricting commission and process. Establishes a redistricting commission to prepare state legislative and congressional redistricting plans; spells out standards for developing plans; and provides for General Assembly action on plans submitted by the commission. This bill is identical to SB 872.
Patron - Moran

F HB2464

Basic requirements for political campaign advertisements. Modifies the size requirement for the disclosure statement that must be printed on "print media" political campaign advertisements under the "Stand by Your Ad" law enacted in 2002. The law as enacted requires that the disclosure statement must constitute five percent of the height of the printed space in any "print media" advertisement. The bill provides that the disclosure statement shall be in a font at least 12-point size for print media 11 inches by 14 inches or smaller and five percent of the height for larger print media items. The size measure applies to one page, fold, or face on multiple page, fold, or face items. The bill also exempts novelty items such as pens, buttons, and balloons from the disclosure statement requirement. This bill is incorporated into HB 1586.
Patron - O'Bannon

F HB2566

Announcement of results in presidential elections. Prohibits election officials and persons present in the polling place to observe the ascertainment of the results from making any public announcement of precinct results in a presidential election until the polls are closed in the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia. A violation of the prohibition is a Class 3 misdemeanor. The bill's provisions will expire July 1, 2004, unless approximately two-thirds of the states and of the population east of the Mississippi River have passed a like prohibition.
Patron - Scott

F HB2584

House of Delegates districts. Makes technical adjustments in the boundary between the Tenth and Fourteenth Districts within Henry County in order to conform the House line to the new county election district lines and the new Fontaine Precinct line and eliminate splits of the election district and precinct. (Because the House Districts are described in terms of 2000 voting precincts, the bill refers to a split of the Fontaine Precinct, meaning the old precinct.) A shift of 346 total population from the Fourteenth to the Tenth District creates a population deviation of plus two and one-half percent for the Tenth District, exceeding the 2.0 percent deviation followed in the 2001 redistricting.
Patron - Armstrong

F HB2643

House of Delegates districts. Makes a technical adjustment in the House of Delegates line dividing Prince William County between the Thirteenth and Thirty-first Districts in order to have the House line coincide with the County's true precinct lines and eliminate a split precinct. The split Park Precinct named in the bill is a 2000 census "pseudo" or adjusted precinct that technically must be split in order to pick up the true precinct line. However, the County's precinct line does not follow a census block boundary. The County estimates that 260 population would shift from the Thirty-first to the Thirteenth District; the exact number cannot be determined because of the split census block. If the County's estimate is correct, both districts would remain within the plus or minus 2.0 percent population deviation used in the 2001 redistricting. This would be the only instance in which the state legislative district lines split a census block rather than follow block boundaries.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

F HB2739

Instant runoff voting to elect candidates to office. Implements the instant runoff voting method of determining winners in elections. The method produces a majority winner in a single election by simulating a series of runoff elections. All first choices are counted, and if any candidate receives a majority of first choices, that candidate is elected. If no candidate receives a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and all ballots are recounted as one vote for each voter's highest-ranked candidate who has not been eliminated. The process of eliminating candidates and recounting ballots continues until one candidate receives a majority.
Patron - Barlow

F SB769

F SB793

Pollbooks and precinct registered voter lists. Implements the program to merge the pollbook and precinct registered voter list into a single document, the "pollbook." Following a number of successful pilot projects to test a merged list, Chapters 66 and 216 of the 2002 Acts of Assembly provided that the precinct registered voter list (showing who is registered to vote) and the pollbook (showing who has voted) would be merged for elections held on and after July 1, 2003. The Acts also directed the State Board of Elections to prepare legislation to accomplish a permanent merger of these lists. The bill incorporates this legislation, allows the pollbook to be in a paper or electronic format, and authorizes additional pilot programs to test electronic pollbooks. This bill is incorporated into SB 1107.
Patron - Miller, K.G.

F SB872

F SB902

Senatorial and House of Delegates districts. Makes technical adjustments in certain Senatorial and House of Delegates districts within the Cities of Franklin and Hopewell in order to follow new City ward and precinct lines. The Thirteenth, Sixteenth, and Eighteenth Senatorial districts and the Sixty-second, Sixty-fourth, Seventy-fourth, and Seventy-fifth House of Delegates districts are affected. Each district remains within the 2.0 percent population deviation standard followed in the 2001 redistricting. Since the Code of Virginia describes districts in terms of 2000 census precincts, the bill refers to splits of several of the 2000 census precincts. These splits are technically necessary in order to move Senatorial and House of Delegates lines to the new precinct lines.
Patron - Quayle

F SB937

Effective date of decennial redistricting measures; elections following decennial redistricting. Provides (i) that decennial redistricting measures for congressional, General Assembly, and local districts are to be implemented for the first general election for the office following enactment of the redistricting measure; (ii) that members in office when the redistricting measure is enacted continue in office, complete their terms of office, and continue to represent the district from which they were elected; and (iii) that a vacancy in the office will be filled from the district as it existed when the member whose vacancy is being filled was last elected to office.
Patron - Edwards

F SB1059

F SB1237

Senatorial districts. Makes technical adjustments in the boundary between the Nineteenth and Twenty-third Districts in Campbell County in order to conform to the County's new election district and precinct lines. The adjustment places the Nineteenth District at 2.4 percent population deviation, greater than the 2.0 percent deviation used in the 2001 redistricting.
Patron - Hawkins

F SB1252

F SB1286

Absentee voting by students attending Virginia universities, colleges, and community colleges. Authorizes the State Board of Elections to conduct a pilot program for voting absentee through the Internet for students attending Virginia universities, colleges, and community colleges who are qualified to vote in Virginia. The program will be conducted in those localities whose electoral boards choose to participate. The application will be the usual absentee ballot application with the addition of space for the student's e-mail address. The application may be filed on line with the local general registrar's office. The program will provide that the absentee ballot and instructions for creating the requisite envelopes to seal the ballot and return it by mail will be forwarded to the student by e-mail. The student must complete the ballot and return it by mail in compliance with current law provisions. This pilot program extends a program established by the State Board for certain military and overseas voters to receive absentee ballots through the Internet.
Patron - Norment

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