General Assembly>Division of Legislative Services>Publications>Session Summaries>2006>Elections


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Elections

Passed

P HB24

Assistance to persons voting by absentee ballot; penalties. Provides that a violation of the law on assistance for persons voting by absentee ballot constitutes a Class 5 felony.
Patron - Purkey

P HB61

Elections; voter registration; duties of State Board of Elections. Adds to the provision under which the State Board requires local registrars to remove voters' names from the registered voter lists in appropriate cases, a requirement to delete the names of voters who are not United States citizens. The bill specifies that the Board will institute procedures to implement the requirements set out in the section and requires notice to be sent to any registered voter whose registration is cancelled because of noncitizen status.
Patron - Albo

P HB71

Certification of political party candidates for general, special, and primary elections. Provides that the individual who acts for the party to certify candidates for the party primary or as party nominees shall not be a candidate for that primary or election. The party shall designate another party official to certify its candidates in such cases.
Patron - Orrock

P HB105

Disclosure requirements for political campaign advertisements; definitions. Broadens the definition of "print media" to cover any printed matter disseminated by mail. "Print media" now includes mass mailings of 500 or more pieces of mail.
Patron - Brink

P HB138

Elections; voter registration. Creates a presumption with respect to the spouse or dependent of a member of the military or merchant marine that the spouse or dependent who has a physical presence and place of abode in Virginia has established domicile in Virginia and residence for purposes of voting, unless the spouse or dependent expressly states otherwise.
Patron - Cole

P HB170

Elections; voter registration; citizenship status. Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to furnish monthly lists to the State Board of Elections of license applicants who indicate a non-citizen status on their applications, and directs the State Board to forward the information to the general registrars. Non-citizen status constitutes grounds for cancelling a person's voter registration. This bill is identical to SB 313.
Patron - Lingamfelter

P HB291

Campaign finance; special disclosure requirements for certain committees; civil penalties. Requires federal and IRS 527 committees contributing more than $10,000 to candidates in Virginia to register with the State Board of Elections. Information on contributors to federal committees will be made available by the Board through a link to filings at the Federal Election Commission. Information on contributors of $2,500 or more to 527 committees will be filed with the State Board and available to the public. Candidates accepting more than $10,000 from a committee must verify that the committee has registered with the State Board. Civil penalties are imposed for accepting or making contributions in violation of the act. This bill incorporates HBs 503 and 1088 and is identical to SB 436.
Patron - Jones, S.C.

P HB292

Campaign finance disclosure; definitions; exemptions. Provides that the exemption for Internal Revenue Code § 501 (c) (3) organizations will also apply to § 501 (c) (4) and (6) organizations so long as the organization does not advocate the election or defeat of an identified candidate. This is a recommendation of the task force that assisted the State Board of Elections in conducting a review of the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act pursuant to HJR 667 (2005). This bill is identical to SB 228.
Patron - Jones, S.C.

P HB294

Campaign finance disclosure; definitions; independent expenditures. Retains the present law amounts that trigger reporting requirements applicable to independent expenditures: $500 in statewide elections and $200 in other elections. Clarifies that any person, candidate committee, or political committee may be subject to the independent expenditure reporting requirements. As introduced, this was a recommendation of the task force that assisted the State Board of Elections in conducting a review of the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act pursuant to HJR 667 (2005).
Patron - Jones, S.C.

P HB295

Campaign finance disclosure; statements of organization; petty cash funds; depository requirements. Increases from $100 to $200 the amount of a credit card charge that may be reimbursed from petty cash funds by a candidate campaign committee. Provides that other political committees will have the same authority as a candidate campaign committee (i) to use a petty cash fund and (ii) to invest funds in an interest-bearing account so long as all expenditures are made through the committee's designated depository account. This is a recommendation of the task force that assisted the State Board of Elections in conducting a review of the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act pursuant to HJR 667 (2005). This bill is identical to SB 227.
Patron - Jones, S.C.

P HB297

Campaign finance; special reports of large pre-election contributions. Redefines large contributions requiring special reports to be more than $5,000 for statewide campaigns, more than $1,000 for General Assembly campaigns, and more than $500 for other campaigns. Present law requires reports for contributions greater than $1,000 in statewide campaigns and $500 in other campaigns. The bill also requires the special reports to be filed by 5:00 p.m. on the day following receipt, or by 5:00 p.m. on the following Monday if received on a Saturday, rather than "on the next business day."
Patron - Jones, S.C.

P HB470

Special elections to fill vacancies in constitutional offices. Provides that the general law provision calling for a special election to fill a vacancy in a constitutional office overrides any other provision in a charter that may provide a different method to fill the vacancy.
Patron - Ingram

P HB773

House of Delegates districts. Makes technical changes in the boundary line between the Seventeenth and Nineteenth House of Delegates districts within Botetourt County to eliminate splits of three current voting precincts. All of the Cloverdale Precinct will be in the Seventeenth district; all of the Amsterdam and Rainbow Forest Precincts in the Nineteenth District.
Patron - Putney

P HB783

Page County School Board; referendum. Provides for a referendum in the County at the November 2006 election on the question of whether the school board should be elected biennially for staggered four-year terms. This bill is identical to SB 342.
Patron - Gilbert

P HB884

Elections; special elections to fill vacancies in constitutional offices; absences. Provides that the absence from the county or city of a constitutional officer because of service in the armed forces does not create a vacancy in the office unless the officer provides written notice of his resignation. The bill further provides that the power to relieve the officer of his duties or powers during an absence remains the sole prerogative of the officer unless waived by him in writing.
Patron - Griffith

P HB929

Elections; absentee ballots and certain deadlines. Provides that applications for mailed absentee ballots must be received by 5:00 p.m. on the seventh day before the election rather than at least five days before the election.
Patron - Ingram

P HB972

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act of 2006. Enacts a new campaign finance disclosure act; reorganizes and clarifies provisions in the act; amends various cross-references to the act; and repeals the existing act. The bill is the result of a review of the act undertaken by the State Board of Elections pursuant to House Joint Resolution 667 (2005).
Patron - Jones, S.C.

P HB1065

Campaign finance disclosure; reports as condition to qualify for office; penalties. Revises and increases the civil penalties applicable to the filing of incomplete campaign finance reports.
Patron - Watts

P HB1143

Campaign finance; filings by candidates and campaign committees; statements of organization. Provides that a candidate's statement of organization shall be filed within 10 days of appointing a campaign treasurer or designating his campaign committee or depository. The bill retains the present law requirement for a candidate to comply with campaign finance disclosure act provisions upon the acceptance of any campaign contribution. The bill also provides that a General Assembly candidate files his statement of organization with the State Board of Elections and files a copy of it with the local electoral board where he resides.
Patron - Orrock

P HB1172

Elections; definitions and age qualification to vote. Adds language to specify that a person must be 18 years of age "on or before the day" of the election to be qualified to vote in the election or be qualified by law to vote in the special and primary elections held immediately before the general election day by which he will be 18 years of age.
Patron - Rapp

P HB1175

Elections; post-election procedures; recounts. Provides for political party and candidate representatives to be present during certain post-election procedures: any examination of sealed voting devices on authorization of the State Board of Elections; an examination of sealed ballots on authorization of the State Board or local board; and the electoral board meeting to ascertain the results of the election. The bill requires the State Board to post on the Internet notice of changes made to the election night results by local electoral boards and made to certified results by a recount court.
Patron - Rapp

P HB1177

Requirements for political campaign advertisements; increased civil penalties. Increases the civil penalty from an amount not to exceed $100 to an amount not to exceed $1,000 for violations of the basic requirements and from an amount not to exceed $500 to an amount not to exceed $1,000 for violations of special requirements for radio and television advertisements. The bill also provides for a civil penalty not to exceed $2,500 for a violation occurring during the 14 days before or on election day, and it raises from $5,000 to $10,000 the cap on penalties for multiple broadcasts of one advertisement. As passed, this bill is identical to SB 265.
Patron - Rapp

P HB1327

Elections; absentee voting procedures and provisional ballots for certain voters. Permits a voter who applied for but has not received an absentee ballot to vote a provisional ballot at his polling place upon his signed statement that he has not received or voted an absentee ballot. Current law requires that the voter who did not receive an absentee ballot and who lives in a locality that has established a central absentee voter precinct must be sent to that precinct to vote. This bill is identical to HB 685.
Patron - McClellan

P HB1463

Contested election for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, or the General Assembly. Provides for a surety bond of $10 per precinct in contested elections for statewide office and $100 per precinct in contested elections for the General Assembly to be forfeited by a losing contestant to the extent of the contestee's actual costs. The bill also makes the failure to meet the procedural deadlines for notice and subsequent filings dispositive of the contest and equivalent to a finding against the party failing to meet the deadlines.
Patron - Brink

P HB1491

Absentee voting procedures. Provides a uniform statewide deadline (the close of the polls) for the return of voted absentee ballots to the electoral board or general registrar.
Patron - Valentine

P HB1571

Distribution of information on referendum elections. Allows towns as well as counties and cities to provide for the preparation and printing of an explanation for each referendum question to be submitted to the voters
Patron - Scott, E.T.

P SB141

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act of 2006. Enacts a new campaign finance disclosure act; reorganizes and clarifies provisions in the act; amends various cross-references to the act; and repeals the existing act. The bill is the result of a review of the act undertaken by the State Board of Elections pursuant to HJR 667 (2005).
Patron - O'Brien

P SB227

Campaign finance disclosure; statements of organization; petty cash funds; depository requirements. Increases from $100 to $200 the amount of a credit card charge that may be reimbursed from petty cash funds by a candidate campaign committee. Provides that other political committees will have the same authority as a candidate campaign committee (i) to use a petty cash fund and (ii) to invest funds in an interest-bearing account so long as all expenditures are made through the committee's designated depository account. This is a recommendation of the task force that assisted the State Board of Elections in conducting a review of the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act pursuant to HJR 667 (2005). This bill is identical to HB 295.
Patron - O'Brien

P SB228

Campaign finance disclosure; definitions; exemptions. Provides that the exemption for Internal Revenue Code § 501 (c) (3) organizations will also apply to § 501 (c) (4) and (6) organizations so long as the organization does not advocate the election or defeat of an identified candidate. This is a recommendation of the task force that assisted the State Board of Elections in conducting a review of the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act pursuant to HJR 667 (2005). This bill is identical to HB 292.
Patron - O'Brien

P SB230

Campaign finance disclosure; definitions; independent expenditures. Increases the amounts that trigger reporting requirements applicable to independent expenditures from $500 to $1,000 in statewide elections and from $200 to $500 in other elections. Clarifies that any person, candidate committee, or political committee may be subject to the independent expenditure reporting requirements. As introduced, this was a recommendation of the task force that assisted the State Board of Elections in conducting a review of the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act pursuant to HJR 667 (2005).
Patron - O'Brien

P SB265

Requirements for political campaign advertisements; increased civil penalties. Increases the civil penalty from an amount not to exceed $100 to an amount not to exceed $1,000 for violations of the basic requirements and from an amount not to exceed $500 to an amount not to exceed $1,000 for violations of special requirements for radio and television advertisements. The bill also provides for a civil penalty not to exceed $2,500 for a violation occurring during the 14 days before or on election day, and it raises from $5,000 to $10,000 the cap on penalties for multiple broadcasts of one advertisement. As passed, this bill is identical to HB 1177.
Patron - Bell

P SB313

Elections; voter registration; citizenship status. Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to furnish monthly lists to the State Board of Elections of license applicants who indicate a non-citizen status on their applications, and directs the State Board to forward the information to the general registrars. Non-citizen status constitutes grounds for cancelling a person's voter registration. This bill is identical to HB 170.
Patron - Cuccinelli

P SB342

Page County School Board; referendum. Provides for a referendum in the County at the November 2006 election on the question of whether the school board should be elected biennially for staggered four-year terms. This bill is identical to HB 783.
Patron - Obenshain

P SB429

State Board of Elections; Director of Elections. Increases the size of the State Board from three to five members. Provides for the position of Director of Elections to be hired by the State Board with the concurrence of at least four of its members, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly, as head of the elections agency, in place of the present position of the Secretary who is a member of the State Board appointed by the Governor. The Director may be removed only by a vote of at least four members of the State Board. This bill is a recommendation of a special subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections appointed to study SB 989 (2005).
Patron - Devolites Davis

P SB434

Elections; permitted use of paper ballots. Delineates the circumstances when it is permissible to use paper ballots: when the paper ballot is the ballot used in the precinct; for assisting voters at curbside; for provisional votes; when voting equipment is inoperable; for absentee voting; and for certain voters in presidential elections.
Patron - Devolites Davis

P SB435

Elections; ascertaining the vote by officers of election; observers of the process. Provides that observers must be afforded an unobstructed view of the officers of election as they work to ascertain the results of the election.
Patron - Devolites Davis

P SB436

Campaign finance; special disclosure requirements for certain committees; civil penalties. Requires federal and IRS 527 committees contributing more than $10,000 to candidates in Virginia to register with the State Board of Elections. Information on contributors to federal committees will be made available by the Board through a link to filings at the Federal Election Commission. Information on contributors of $2,500 or more to 527 committees will be filed with the State Board and available to the public. Candidates accepting more than $10,000 from a committee must verify that the committee has registered with the State Board. Civil penalties are imposed for accepting or making contributions in violation of the act. This bill incorporates SB 628 and is identical to HB 291.
Patron - Devolites Davis

P SB589

Elections; general registrars; performance reviews. Replaces the requirement that the local electoral board send a copy of each annual performance review of the general registrar to the State Board of Elections with the requirement to send a summary of the review.
Patron - Martin

P SB590

Elections; powers and duties of the State Board of Elections. Provides that the State Board's required annual training and any additional training of local electoral board members and general registrars shall be provided without charge to them.
Patron - Martin

P SB716

House of Delegates districts. Makes a technical adjustment in a part of the boundary between the Seventy-seventh and Seventy-eighth Districts within the City of Chesapeake to eliminate the split of a current voting precinct. The same adjustment was made to the Senate line, but not the House line, in 2004.
Patron - Blevins

Failed

F HB9

Redistricting process. Provides a new method for the preparation of state legislative and congressional redistricting plans; spells out standards for developing plans; precludes consideration of incumbency and political data in developing plans; assigns responsibility to the Division of Legislative Services to prepare plans for submission to the General Assembly; and establishes a temporary redistricting advisory commission to advise the Division, disseminate information on plans, and hold hearings for public reaction to plans. This bill is patterned after the Iowa redistricting process.
Patron - Shuler

F HB11

Elections; absentee voting. Provides that qualified voters may vote absentee for any reason. The bill eliminates the present statutory list of specific reasons entitling a voter to cast an absentee ballot. Several special provisions concerning military and overseas absentee voters and disabled voters are consolidated in one new provision. This bill incorporates HB 334 and is identical to HB 562.
Patron - Parrish

F HB80

Elections; absentee voting and absentee ballot applications. Provides that any person who will be age 65 or older on the election day may vote absentee. This bill is identical to HB 763.
Patron - Spruill

F HB81

Early voting. Provides that any registered voter qualified to vote in the election may vote in person from 17 to three days before the election at specified times and at the sites provided in the locality. The provisions for absentee voting remain in effect except that the provisions for in-person absentee voting are superseded by the early voting process during the early voting period.
Patron - Spruill

F HB228

Elections; materials and ballots in non-English translations. Authorizes any county, city, or town to provide translations of elections materials and ballots. Requires "covered" counties, cities, and towns, based on the presence of a language minority population and other factors, to provide translations of elections materials and ballots.
Patron - Jones, D.C.

F HB232

Elections; polling place requirements. Requires to the maximum extent possible that polling places be accessible to voters dependent on public transportation.
Patron - Jones, D.C.

F HB301

Absentee ballot applications. Provides for the submission of applications for absentee ballots to local registrars through the official website of the State Board of Elections. The online application will contain all the information on the standard application, except for the signature requirement, plus a field for the applicant's e-mail address. The State Board website will e-mail the application automatically to the appropriate local registrar and generate an e-mail confirmation of receipt of the application to the applicant. The bill provides that the registrar may compare the voter's signature on the ballot with his signature on his registration application. If the signatures do not appear the same, the ballot will be treated as a provisional ballot and held for further confirmation.
Patron - Jones, S.C.

F HB334

Elections; absentee voting. Provides that qualified voters may vote absentee for any reason. The bill eliminates the present statutory list of specific reasons entitling a voter to cast an absentee ballot. Several special provisions concerning military and overseas absentee voters and disabled voters are consolidated in one new provision. This bill was incorporated into HB 11 and is identical to HB 562.
Patron - Toscano

F HB376

Elections; qualifications of candidates; determination of residence. Makes explicit the authority of the State Board of Elections, local electoral board, or general registrar to request information pertinent to the definition of residence in the elections laws in making the determination whether a person meets the residency requirements to qualify as a candidate and have his name printed on the ballot.
Patron - Dance

F HB503

Campaign finance; special disclosure requirements for certain large contributions; civil penalties. Requires the filing of special reports to disclose the source of funds for large contributions ($100,000 for statewide candidates and $25,000 for General Assembly candidates) made by certain political committees, persons, and entities and including special reports on the source of large contributions received by certain political committees, persons, and entities. This bill was incorporated into HB 291 and is identical to HB 1088 and SB 628.
Patron - Armstrong

F HB549

Elections; notice of changes in election results in certain statewide elections. Requires the local electoral boards to notify the State Board of Elections within 24 hours of any changes made in the results of a statewide election after the results are announced on the election night when the margin of victory in that election is less than 1 percent of the total vote cast for the two top candidates. The State Board is required to post the changes on the Internet. This bill was incorporated into HB 1175.
Patron - Saxman

F HB562

Elections; absentee voting. Provides that qualified voters may vote absentee for any reason. The bill eliminates the present statutory list of specific reasons entitling a voter to cast an absentee ballot. Several special provisions concerning military and overseas absentee voters and disabled voters are consolidated in one new provision. This bill is identical to HBs 11 and 334.
Patron - Amundson

F HB587

Elections; absentee voting and absentee ballot applications. Provides that any person who will be age 65 or older on the election day, and any disabled person who is entitled to request assistance in voting, may vote absentee.
Patron - Watts

F HB636

House of Delegates districts. Makes technical adjustments in the boundary line between the Second and Third House of Delegates districts within Russell County in order to reduce split precincts and more closely follow current voter precinct lines. The maximum deviations for the Second and Third districts cannot be determined because the County's precinct line splits census blocks, the smallest geographical unit for which population is reported by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Patron - Phillips

F HB656

Virginia Advisory Redistricting Commission. Creates an advisory commission to draw plans to redistrict General Assembly and congressional districts in the year 2011 and every tenth year thereafter. The General Assembly has power to adopt or amend commission plans. The bill spells out the standards to be followed by the commission in drawing plans and provides for the expiration of the commission following implementation of the decennial redistricting plans.
Patron - Plum

F HB685

Elections; absentee voting procedures and provisional ballots for certain voters. Permits a voter who applied for but has not received an absentee ballot to vote a provisional ballot at his polling place upon his signed statement that he has not received or voted an absentee ballot. Current law requires that the voter who did not receive an absentee ballot and who lives in a locality that has established a central absentee voter precinct must be sent to that precinct to vote. This bill is identical to HB 1327.
Patron - Brink

F HB756

Elections; recount procedures. Requires hard copy optical scan ballots to be rerun through appropriately programmed tabulators in recount proceedings. Present law provides that the tabulator printout will be sufficient unless it is unclear or the court orders the ballots to be rerun. This bill is identical to SB 627.
Patron - McEachin

F HB763

Elections; absentee voting and absentee ballot applications. Provides that any person who will be age 65 or older on the election day may vote absentee. This bill is identical to HB 80.
Patron - Sickles

F HB867

House of Delegates districts. Makes an adjustment in the boundary line between the Nineteenth and Twenty-Second districts within Bedford County. The population of each district remains within two percent of the ideal district population.
Patron - Byron

F HB1088

Campaign finance; special disclosure requirements for certain large contributions; civil penalties. Requires the filing of special reports to disclose the source of funds for large contributions ($100,000 for statewide candidates and $25,000 for General Assembly candidates) made by certain political committees, persons, and entities and including special reports on the source of large contributions received by certain political committees, persons, and entities. This bill was incorporated into HB 291 and is identical to HB 503 and SB 628.
Patron - Scott, J.M.

F HB1090

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, J.M.

F HB1092

Officers of election; hours of service. Provides that the chief and assistant chief officers of election may jointly agree to excuse one of the other officers from the polling place for a brief period in the case of a personal emergency.
Patron - Scott, J.M.

F HB1166

Elections; voter registration lists and applications; victims of domestic violence. Provides that victims of domestic violence may provide a post office box address, in lieu of a residence address, to be shown on any public list of registered voters.
Patron - Eisenberg

F HB1253

Elections; voter registration; 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, 2007, 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 during 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 - Hugo

F HB1415

Elections; general registrars. Provides that all general registrars shall serve on a five-day per week, full-time basis.
Patron - Morgan

F HB1598

Elections; 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 - Hugo

F SB65

Elections; absentee voting and absentee ballot applications. Provides that any person who will be age 75 or older on the election day may vote absentee.
Patron - Whipple

F SB150

Elections; electronic voting equipment and paper record requirements; postelection audits of electronic equipment and paper records. Requires that direct recording electronic devices be equipped to produce a contemporaneous paper record of each vote that can be verified by the voter and used in recounts. Provides for audits of a percentage of the equipment. This bill was incorporated into SB 424.
Patron - Deeds

F SB337

Page County School Board; referendum. Provides for a referendum in the County at the November 2006 election on the question of whether the chairman of the school board should be elected by the County at large.
Patron - Obenshain

F SB455

Elections; local electoral boards; certain prohibitions. Prohibits a member of a local electoral board from being the spouse or other relative of a candidate for or holder of an office filled in whole or in part by voters in the jurisdiction of the electoral board.
Patron - Devolites Davis

F SB472

Absentee ballot applications. Provides for the submission of applications for absentee ballots to local registrars through the official website of the State Board of Elections. The online application will contain all the information on the standard application, except for the signature requirement, plus a field for the applicant's e-mail address. The State Board website will e-mail the application automatically to the appropriate local registrar and generate an e-mail confirmation of receipt of the application to the applicant. The bill provides that the registrar may compare the voter's signature on the ballot with his signature on his registration application. If the signatures do not appear the same, the ballot will be treated as a provisional ballot and held for further confirmation.
Patron - Norment

F SB588

Preservation of order at elections. Provides that the local electoral board or general registrar, rather than the officers of election, may designate, with the consent of the chief local law-enforcement officer, a law-enforcement officer to maintain order at a polling place; and deletes a provision for the appointment of special officers at the polling place.
Patron - Martin

F SB607

Elections; recount procedures. Requires hard copy optical scan ballots to be rerun through appropriately programmed tabulators in recount proceedings. Present law provides that the tabulator printout will be sufficient unless it is unclear or the court orders the ballots to be rerun. This bill incorporates SB 627.
Patron - Lucas

F SB627

Elections; recount procedures. Requires hard copy optical scan ballots to be rerun through appropriately programmed tabulators in recount proceedings. Present law provides that the tabulator printout will be sufficient unless it is unclear or the court orders the ballots to be rerun. This bill was incorporated into SB 607 and is identical to HB 756.
Patron - Deeds

F SB628

Campaign finance; special disclosure requirements for certain large contributions; civil penalties. Requires the filing of special reports to disclose the source of funds for large contributions ($100,000 for statewide candidates and $25,000 for General Assembly candidates) made by certain political committees, persons, and entities including special reports on the source of large contributions received by certain political committees, persons, and entities. This bill was incorporated into SB 436 and is identical to HBs 503 and 1088.
Patron - Deeds

F SB641

General Assembly members; prohibition of certain gifts and entertainment during legislative sessions; civil penalties. Prohibits gifts from lobbyists and other persons to General Assembly members during regular legislative sessions.
Patron - Reynolds

F SB646

Primary elections; dates and procedures; date of June primary. Changes the date for the June primary from the second Tuesday in June to the third Tuesday in June.
Patron - O'Brien

F SB728

Primary elections; dates and procedures; date of June primary. Changes the date for the June primary from the second Tuesday in June to the second Tuesday in September.
Patron - Potts

Carried Over

C HB46

Voter registration at offices of the Department of Motor Vehicles and registration records. Provides that the Department shall maintain a copy of any completed voter registration application received by it until 30 days after the next general election and that the copy may be transmitted by facsimile or electronic means to a general registrar, local electoral board, or the State Board of Elections for the purpose of determining the validity of a provisional ballot. This bill is identical to HB 356 and SB 80.
Patron - Dance

C HB293

Campaign finance disclosure; definitions; reporting requirements. Codifies the "express advocacy" standard. The Virginia Supreme Court held in Virginia Society for Human Life, Inc. v. Caldwell, 256 Va. 151, 500 S.E.2d 814 (1998), that the Virginia Campaign Finance Disclosure Act applies only to "express advocacy" and that the phrase "for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election" will be interpreted to mean "express advocacy." This is a recommendation of the task force that assisted the State Board of Elections in conducting a review of the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act pursuant to HJR 667 (2005). This bill is identical to SB 229.
Patron - Jones, S.C.

C HB296

Campaign finance; valuation of certain campaign contributions. Provides a general rule that the value of in-kind contributions benefiting multiple candidates will be divided equally among the benefiting candidates. However, the maker of the contribution may apportion the value of the contribution among the candidates on an objective basis that is stated in his campaign reports and documented in his records. This is a recommendation of the task force that assisted the State Board of Elections in conducting a review of the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act pursuant to HJR 667 (2005).
Patron - Jones, S.C.

C HB356

Voter registration at offices of the Department of Motor Vehicles and registration records. Provides that the Department shall maintain a copy of any completed voter registration application received by it until 30 days after the next general election and that the copy may be transmitted by facsimile or electronic means to a general registrar, local electoral board, or the State Board of Elections for the purpose of determining the validity of a provisional ballot. This bill is identical to HB 46 and SB 80.
Patron - Ingram

C HB375

Campaign advertisements; basic disclosure requirements. Requires (i) that the disclosure statement on a print media advertisement with multiple pages, folds, or faces shall appear on the first page, fold, or face and (ii) that, in any print media advertisement in which the word "official" appears, the disclosure statement shall be printed in an equivalent or more conspicuous type size, font, and style than the word "official."
Patron - Brink

C HB658

Constitutional officers; certain incompatible activities. Provides that a full-time, compensated constitutional officer who becomes a candidate for a different full-time, compensated elected office will forfeit his constitutional office.
Patron - Wardrup

C HB735

Campaign finance; requirement to close certain candidate campaign accounts. Requires a candidate who holds an elected office either (i) to file a final report for his campaign for that office when he becomes a candidate for a second elected office or (ii) if he has outstanding debts in his campaign for that office, to cease all activity in that campaign except to receive contributions to retire those outstanding debts.
Patron - Jones, S.C.

C HB1089

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 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 January 1, 2007.
Patron - Scott, J.M.

C HB1243

Election procedures; pollbooks, voting equipment requirements and audits, and recount procedures; pilot program. Requires the State Board of Elections to design a pilot program to test electronic voting equipment and paper record requirements and incorporate audits of voting equipment. This provision takes effect in due course on July 1, 2006. The remainder of the bill takes effect January 1, 2009, and requires (i) that electronic pollbooks provide a contemporaneous and continuous paper printout of the voters' names and identifying information as their names are recorded and that the local electoral board conduct a postelection audit of the electronic pollbooks; (ii) that direct recording electronic devices be equipped to produce a paper record of each vote that can be verified by the voter and used in recounts and that audits be conducted on a percentage of the equipment; (iii) that the source codes for software used in voting equipment be placed in escrow with the State Board of Elections prior to certification of the equipment for use in Virginia and that the source codes be examined by technical experts; and (iv) that there be a prohibition on any form of wireless electronic communication capability on any direct recorded electronic voting machine, optical ballot tabulator, or other voting or counting device.
Patron - Hugo

C HB1432

Elections; definitions; residence; duties of registrars. Provides that an applicant to register may have more than one place of abode but only one domicile, which he presently intends as his primary home. Registrars are directed to make reasonable inquiries to assist the applicant to make an accurate determination of his residence status. This bill is identical to HB 1604.
Patron - Barlow

C HB1604

Elections; definitions; residence; duties of registrars. Provides that an applicant to register may have more than one place of abode but only one domicile, which he presently intends as his primary home. Registrars are directed to make reasonable inquiries to assist the applicant to make an accurate determination of his residence status. This bill is identical to HB 1432.
Patron - Rapp

C SB80

Voter registration at offices of the Department of Motor Vehicles and registration records. Provides that the Department shall maintain a copy of any completed voter registration application received by it until 30 days after the next general election and that the copy may be transmitted by facsimile or electronic means to a general registrar, local electoral board, or the State Board of Elections for the purpose of determining the validity of a provisional ballot. This bill is identical to HBs 46 and 356.
Patron - Watkins

C SB122

Elections; local electoral boards, general registrars, and their employees. Provides civil service status for the staffs of electoral boards and general registrars and revises various provisions to recognize the status of employees of the boards and general registrars.
Patron - O'Brien

C SB229

Campaign finance disclosure; definitions; reporting requirements. Codifies the "express advocacy" standard. The Virginia Supreme Court held in Virginia Society for Human Life, Inc. v. Caldwell, 256 Va. 151, 500 S.E.2d 814 (1998), that the Virginia Campaign Finance Disclosure Act applies only to "express advocacy" and that the phrase "for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election" will be interpreted to mean "express advocacy." This is a recommendation of the task force that assisted the State Board of Elections in conducting a review of the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act pursuant to HJR 667 (2005).
Patron - O'Brien

C SB231

Campaign finance; valuation of certain campaign contributions. Provides a general rule that the value of in-kind contributions benefiting multiple candidates will be divided equally among the benefiting candidates. However, the maker of the contribution may apportion the value of the contribution among the candidates on an objective basis that is stated in his campaign reports and documented in his records. The bill exempts literature distributed by local political party committees on behalf of their candidates from the apportionment requirement. As introduced, this was a recommendation of the task force that assisted the State Board of Elections in conducting a review of the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act pursuant to HJR 667 (2005).
Patron - O'Brien

C SB272

Elections; a pilot program to test electronic voting equipment and paper record requirements; audits of voting equipment. Requires the State Board of Elections to design a pilot program to test electronic voting equipment and voter-verified records of votes and to provide for audits of voting equipment. As passed, the bill requires the Board to consult technical experts in the design of the program and makes implementation contingent on funds being appropriated for the program. This is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee Studying Voting Equipment established pursuant to HJR 174 (2004) and SJR 371 (2005).
Patron - Whipple

C SB424

Election procedures; pollbooks, voting equipment requirements and audits, and recount procedures. Requires (i) that electronic pollbooks provide a contemporaneous and continuous paper printout of the voters' names and identifying information as their names are recorded and that the local electoral board conduct a postelection audit of the electronic pollbooks; (ii) that direct recording electronic devices be equipped to produce a paper record of each vote that can be verified by the voter and used in recounts and that audits be conducted on a percentage of the equipment; and (iii) that the source codes for software used in voting equipment be placed in escrow with the State Board of Elections prior to certification of the equipment for use in Virginia and that the source codes be examined by technical experts. The bill also prohibits any form of wireless electronic communication capability on any direct recorded electronic voting machine, optical ballot tabulator, or other voting or counting device and requires that a percentage of paper ballots be audited during recounts.
Patron - Devolites Davis

C SB658

Elections; voter registration lists and applications; victims of domestic violence. Provides that victims of domestic violence may provide a post office box address, in lieu of a residence address, to be shown on any public list of registered voters. This bill takes effect January 1, 2007.
Patron - Ticer

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