General Assembly>Division of Legislative Services>Publications>Session Summaries>2008>Elections


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Elections

Passed

P HB359

Reporting designated campaign contributions. Requires political committees, out-of-state political committees, and federal political action committees to provide a candidate's campaign committee with information regarding the contributor of any designated contribution so that the candidate can identify the donor of the designated contribution on his or her campaign finance report. Political party committees and organized political party groups of elected officials are the only entities currently required to report such information. The provisions of the bill will become effective January 1, 2009. This bill is identical to SB 452. This bill incorporates HBs 53, 54, 353, 1134, and 1389.
Patron - Cole

P HB637

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act of 2006; applicability to town elections. Authorizes the governing body of any town with a population of less than 25,000, by ordinance, to provide that the provisions of the Act shall apply to elections in the town for town offices. Present law exempts from the provisions of the Act all elections for town office in towns with a population of less than 25,000. The bill also will make the town elections subject to other provisions governing political campaign advertisements (§ 24.2-955 et seq.) in those towns opting to be covered by the Act. The provisions on advertisements apply when the cost or value of the advertisement must be reported as a contribution or expenditure under the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act.
Patron - May

P HB684

Elections; form of ballots. Replaces current law provisions specifying the details for the form of ballots with a directive that ballots comply with election law requirements and standards prescribed by the State Board of Elections.
Patron - Brink

P HB724

Elections; polling hours; and central absentee voter precincts. Permits the local electoral board, with the agreement of the general registrar, to delay the opening of the central absentee voter precinct from 6:00 a.m. for up to six hours or until noon, so long as the general registrar's office is available for the receipt of returned absentee ballots during that time and the central precinct is in the same location as the general registrar's office.
Patron - Scott, E.T.

P HB789

Campaign finance disclosure; filings by political action committees. Requires any political action committee that files its statement of organization on or after October 1 and before the November election day in any odd-numbered year (i) to file a campaign finance report for the committee's activities during that year with its statement of organization and (ii) to file reports within 24 hours of receiving any contribution of $500 or more during the period between the date of filing its statement of organization and the election day. The bill provides for a civil penalty of $500 for the failure to file any such report and $1,000 for each additional failure.
Patron - Ingram

P HB798

Absentee ballot applications and procedures. Provides that voters covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act who reside or are stationed outside the continental borders of the United States may receive their blank absentee ballots by electronic transmission. Present law allows these voters to request absentee ballots by electronic transmission. This bill covers the second step of sending the ballot to these overseas voters. The voted ballots will have to be returned by mail. This bill is identical to SB 508.
Patron - Englin

P HB800

Implementation of election law changes with respect to special elections. Provides that a change in the election laws enacted at a regular session will not take effect for a special election when the writ for the special election has been issued before the effective date of the law.
Patron - Englin

P HB1062

Elections; persons entitled to vote absentee. Adds women who cannot go to the polls on election day because of pregnancy to the list of persons eligible to vote absentee.
Patron - Brink

P HB1099

Voter registration lists; access to date of birth information. Provides that the day and month of birth of a registered voter shall not be shown on the pollbook or any registration list or absentee voter records available to the public. Only the year of birth of the voter shall be shown.
Patron - Sickles

P HB1127

Campaign finance disclosure; required special reports for certain large contributions. Provides a technical correction to two sections requiring special reports for certain large contributions by adding a cross-reference to the section that covers the manner and place for filing the reports. An existing cross-reference in these sections covers the required contents of the special reports.
Patron - Jones, S.C.

P HB1185

Elections; cancellation of voter registration on basis of noncitizenship. Provides that the general registrar shall mail notice to voters who are reported not to be citizens by the Department of Motor Vehicles and that such voters will have 14 days to respond to the notice with a sworn statement that the voter is a citizen. Present law provides for automatic cancellation of the voter's registration by the general registrar on receipt of the report from the Department.
Patron - Lingamfelter

P HB1197

Elections; voter registration; and electronic administration systems. Reduces the period of time that registration records must be closed before a general or primary election from 28 to 21 days beginning January 1, 2010. The bill also permits localities to use their own funds to purchase electronic pollbooks that have been approved by the State Board of Elections. Current law authorizes the use of electronic pollbooks only in pilot programs and when paid for by state appropriations.
Patron - Sickles

P HB1235

Elections; locking of equipment after election; and timing of special elections. Provides that the period of time that voting equipment must be locked and secured after an election will be until the deadline has passed to request a recount (generally 10 days after the election results are certified); and reduces from 60 days to 55 days the period of time during which a special election cannot be called before a general or primary election. These changes give more flexibility for the scheduling of special elections. This bill is identical to SB 509.
Patron - Bouchard

P HB1262

Elections; absentee ballot applications. Permits an absentee ballot to be sent to the address where the absentee voter is temporarily confined due to an illness or disability. Current law allows the ballot to be sent to the absentee voter at any address where he will be located while absent from his county or city of residence but not to a temporary location, such as a rehabilitation center, within his county or city of residence.
Patron - Hall

P HB1410

Campaign finance disclosure; campaign advertisement disclosure requirements; publication of paid political advertisements. Reduces from $500 to $200 or more the amount of independent expenditures that a person may make with respect to an election for any office other than a statewide office that will require him to comply with the reporting requirements for independent expenditures under the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act and with the disclosure requirements of the "stand-by-your-ad" law. The bill also provides that a candidate who is clearly identified in a "paid advertisement" is entitled to obtain the identity of the person who submitted the advertisement from the newspaper, magazine, or periodical that published the advertisement.
Patron - Ingram

P HB1446

Campaign finance disclosure reports; filing schedule for May elections. Provides for the filing by May election candidates of an additional campaign finance report on April 15 of the election year, complete for activity through March 31 of that year. Current law requires a report to be filed on the eighth day before the May election date complete for activity through the eleventh day before the election and, for March primary candidates only, a report to be filed on the eighth day before the primary date complete for activity through the eleventh day before the primary. These requirements apply to May elections in all cities and in those towns with a population of 25,000 or more (Blacksburg and Leesburg). Emergency.
Patron - Ingram

P HB1455

Elections; provisional ballot procedures. Corrects a reference in the Code concerning the handling of provisional ballots to clarify that the information provided by the persons casting provisional ballots will be entered in the precinct provisional ballots log rather than in the pollbook for the precinct. This bill is identical to SB 684.
Patron - Nichols

P HB1476

Elections; voting equipment; wireless communications at polling places. Provides exceptions to the prohibition on wireless communications to or from voting devices at the polls on election day. First, the prohibition will not apply to voting equipment purchased by a locality before July 1, 2007. Second, electronic pollbooks may be used. This bill is identical to SB 52. This bill incorporates HB 467, HB 685, and HB 801.
Patron - Rust

P HB1477

Elections; town election polling places and processes. Provides an exception to location limitations on town polling places for November town elections to require use of county precincts, modifies the process for including town offices on November ballots, and specifies how to ascertain and report the election results for towns located in more than one county. This bill is identical to SB 757.
Patron - Wright

P HB1494

Congressional, Senate, and House of Delegates Districts. Makes technical adjustments between the First and Third Congressional Districts, First and Third Senatorial Districts, and Ninety-Third and Ninety-Sixth House of Delegates Districts to reflect boundary adjustments between York County and the City of Newport News made in 2007.
Patron - Pogge

P SB7

Elections; absentee voting. Extends to persons with any disability or illness, rather than only a "physical" disability or illness, the ability to obtain an absentee ballot and provides a definition for "person with a disability" by cross reference to the definition in The Virginians With Disabilities Act. This bill is identical to HB 310.
Patron - Deeds

P SB35

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. The bill also requires logic and accuracy tests to be run on tabulators prior to their being used in a recount.
Patron - Deeds

P SB52

Elections; voting equipment; wireless communications at polling places. Provides exceptions to the prohibition on wireless communications to or from voting devices at the polls on election day. First, the prohibition will not apply to voting equipment purchased by a locality before July 1, 2007. Second, electronic pollbooks may be used. This bill is identical to HB 1476.
Patron - Whipple

P SB53

Elections; paper and electronic pollbooks. Permits localities to use their own funds to purchase electronic pollbooks that have been approved by the State Board of Elections. Current law authorizes the use of electronic pollbooks only in pilot programs and when paid for by state appropriations.
Patron - Whipple

P SB62

Voter registration procedures; applications and receipts. Provides that the state form for the application to register to vote shall contain a receipt that will be given to the applicant by any person receiving the application. The receipt states the name of the office or person receiving the application, the date received, and a phone number that the applicant may call to verify that he is registered. The requirements pertaining to the receipt are inapplicable when the applicant mails his application directly to a general registrar or the State Board of Elections.
Patron - Howell

P SB292

Elections; pilot programs to audit optical scan tabulators. Authorizes the State Board of Elections to provide for pilot programs to audit optical scan tabulators in localities that choose to participate with respect to an election in which the margin between the top two candidates for each office on the ballot exceeds 10 percent. The audit will take place only after results of the election have been certified and the time to initiate a recount has expired. The audit may be used to test the accuracy of the tabulators and to evaluate the costs of, and procedures for, audits.
Patron - Herring

P SB452

Reporting designated campaign contributions. Requires political committees, out-of-state political committees, and federal political action committees to provide a candidate's campaign committee with information regarding the contributor of any designated contribution so that the candidate can identify the donor of the designated contribution on his or her campaign finance report. Political party committees and organized political party groups of elected officials are the only entities currently required to report such information. The provisions of the bill will become effective January 1, 2009. This bill is identical to HB 359.
Patron - Petersen

P SB508

Absentee ballot applications and procedures. Provides that voters covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act who reside or are stationed outside the continental borders of the United States may receive their blank absentee ballots by electronic transmission. Present law allows these voters to request absentee ballots by electronic transmission. This bill covers the second step of sending the ballot to these overseas voters. The voted ballots will have to be returned by mail. This bill is identical to HB 798.
Patron - Northam

P SB509

Elections; locking of equipment after election; and timing of special elections. Provides that the period of time that voting equipment must be locked and secured after an election will be until the deadline has passed to request a recount (generally 10 days after the election results are certified); and reduces from 60 days to 55 days the period of time during which a special election cannot be called before a general or primary election. These changes give more flexibility for the scheduling of special elections. This bill is identical to HB 1235.
Patron - Northam

P SB536

Elections; certification of voting equipment. Provides for additional testing of voting equipment in the certification process by individuals with expertise in election management and computer system security. The bill also permits decertification of a product if the vendor fails to supply annual updates on the security and functionality of the product, and it gives the State Board of Elections explicit authority to decertify products based on problems in Virginia or those reported by federal or other state officials.
Patron - Barker

P SB684

Elections; provisional ballot procedures. Corrects a reference in the Code concerning the handling of provisional ballots to clarify that the information provided by the persons casting provisional ballots will be entered in the precinct provisional ballots log rather than in the pollbook for the precinct. This bill is identical to HB 1455.
Patron - Colgan

P SB715

Freezing election precincts. Prohibits counties and cities from abolishing, creating, or changing precincts between February 1, 2009, and May 15, 2011, except in certain enumerated circumstances. Freezing of precincts for this period of time will allow the United States Bureau of the Census to provide 2010 population data by precinct for redistricting use in 2011.
Patron - Howell

P SB757

Elections; town election polling places and processes. Provides an exception to location limitations on town polling places for November town elections to require use of county precincts, modifies the process for including town offices on November ballots, and specifies how to ascertain and report the election results for towns located in more than one county. This bill is identical to HB 1477.
Patron - Ruff

Failed

F HB42

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 at-large 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. This bill is identical to SB 277.
Patron - Scott, J.M.

F HB43

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act of 2006. Provides a procedure for review of campaign finance reports for candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General and for candidates in a random sample of General Assembly districts. Focuses on reconciling the balance in the campaign depository with campaign finance reports, on mathematical accuracy, and on completeness.
Patron - Scott, J.M.

F HB46

Campaign finance disclosure reports; identification of contributors. Provides that the disclosure reports must provide the same identifying information for all contributors, including those contributing $100 or less. Current law permits the reports to state the number of persons contributing $100 or less and the total amount contributed by those contributors without any identifying information.
Patron - Cole

F HB53

Reporting designated campaign contributions. Requires political committees, out-of-state political committees, and federal political action committees to report contributions they receive that are designated for the election of a particular candidate. Political party committees and organized political party groups of elected officials are the only entities currently required to report such information. Such committees will be required to provide a candidate's campaign committee with information regarding the contributor of the designated contribution so that the candidate can identify that contribution on his or her campaign finance report. In turn, candidate campaign committees will be required to report designated contributions transmitted from such committees as being made by the person who designated the contribution. This bill has been incorporated into HB 359.
Patron - Lingamfelter

F HB54

Reporting designated campaign contributions to PACs. Requires political action committees, including out-of-state political committees, to report contributions they receive that are designated by the contributor for the election of a particular candidate. Political party committees now are required to file such reports. This bill has been incorporated into HB 359.
Patron - Lingamfelter

F HB64

Elections; posting notice of voting qualifications at polling places. Requires the governing body of each county and city to provide posted notices of the constitutional qualifications to vote and the penalties for voting in violation of the constitutional requirements in each polling place. The governing body shall provide for the notices to be posted in the two most commonly used languages in the locality.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

F HB68

Elections; voter registration applications; proof of citizenship. Requires voter registration applicants to provide one of the enumerated proofs of citizenship. The bill takes effect January 1, 2009.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

F HB69

Requirements for print media advertisements sponsored by a political party committee. Requires a political party committee to obtain the permission of its candidate before sponsoring a print media advertisement that clearly identifies the candidate that the party committee is opposing.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

F HB70

Elections, nominations, and form of ballots. Deletes the provision that no individual may appear on the ballot more than one time for any one office. The effect of the bill is to permit "fusion" candidates; i.e., an individual shown on the ballot as the nominee of more than one political party. The change applies to both paper and machine ballots.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

F HB99

Elections; form of ballots. Provides that all candidates who are nominated by a political party or primary shall be identified by party on the ballot. Present law provides for party identification on the ballot only for candidates for federal, statewide, or General Assembly offices and not for candidates for local offices.
Patron - Poisson

F HB122

Campaign fundraising during legislative sessions. Broadens the prohibition against campaign fundraising by members and statewide officials during regular sessions to cover attendance at or sponsorship of political fundraisers for candidates, political parties or committees, and partisan issue advocacy entities. The bill also defines solicitation to cover contribution solicitations made by electronic or digital means on the Internet. This bill has been incorporated into HB 322.
Patron - Lingamfelter

F HB199

Elections; lists of registered voters. Permits the State Board of Elections to furnish address lists of registered voters, but not names, at a reasonable cost to local school division superintendents solely for use in conducting the triennial census of school population. This bill is identical to SB 190.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

F HB309

Elections; absentee voting. Provides that qualified voters may vote absentee in person without providing an excuse or reason for not being able to vote in person on election day. The bill retains the present statutory list of specific reasons entitling a voter to cast an absentee ballot for those persons who vote absentee by mail. This bill is identical to SBs 8 and 69.
Patron - Eisenberg

F HB322

Campaign finance; prohibited activities during regular sessions of the General Assembly. Prohibits any General Assembly member, the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or Attorney General, from attending any event held during a regular session that is sponsored by any political party committee, registered lobbyist, organization or group from which he received a campaign contribution during the previous calendar year. This bill incorporates HB 122.
Patron - Saxman

F HB328

November elections for mayors, councils, and elected school boards of cities and towns; related elections, filing deadlines, and requirements. Provides that all elections for city and town mayors, councils, and elected school boards 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 and school boards in May or November. These elections may be held in November in even-numbered or odd-numbered years.
Patron - Saxman

F HB339

Virginia Advisory Redistricting Commission. Creates an advisory commission to draw plans to redistrict General Assembly and congressional districts in the year 2011 and every 10th year thereafter. The General Assembly has the 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 enactment of the decennial redistricting plans.
Patron - Plum

F HB353

Reporting certain designated campaign contributions. Requires political action committees, out-of-state political committees and federal political action committees to report contributions they receive that are designated for the election of a particular candidate. Such committees will be required to provide a candidate's campaign committee with information regarding the contributor of the designated contribution so that the candidate can identify that contribution on his or her campaign finance report. In turn, candidate campaign committees will be required to report designated contributions transmitted from such committees as being made by the person who designated the contribution. The act will become effective on January 1, 2009. This bill has been incorporated into HB 359.
Patron - Cole

F HB467

Elections; voting equipment; wireless communications at polling places. Provides an exception to the prohibition on wireless communications to or from voting devices at the polls on election day. The bill authorizes wireless communications after the polls are closed to transmit results from voting equipment by modem to the electoral board. This bill is identical to HB 1476. This bill has been incorporated into HB 1476.
Patron - Watts

F HB640

Elections; hours polls are open. Provides that northern Virginia localities may by ordinance extend the 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. voting hours for an additional two hours until 9:00 p.m. The extended hours will be applicable to all elections in the locality.
Patron - May

F HB685

Elections; voting equipment; wireless communications at polling places. Provides exceptions to the prohibition on wireless communications to or from voting devices at the polls on election day. First, wireless communications to transmit results from voting equipment by modem to the electoral board after the polls close is permitted. Second, electronic pollbooks may be used. This bill is identical to HB 801 and SB 52. This bill has been incorporated into HB 1476.
Patron - Brink

F HB799

Elections; information to be provided to voters. Requires the State Board of Elections to mail a voter guide to all registered voters in advance of the November general election with information on pending constitutional amendments, statewide referenda, and candidates for statewide or General Assembly office. The bill also authorizes localities to provide voter guides for local elections.
Patron - Englin

F HB801

Elections; voting equipment; wireless communications at polling places. Provides exceptions to the prohibition on wireless communications to or from voting devices at the polls on election day. First, wireless communications to transmit results from voting equipment by modem to the electoral board after the polls close is permitted. Second, electronic pollbooks may be used. This bill is identical to HB 685 and SB 52. This bill has been incorporated into HB 1476.
Patron - Englin

F HB836

Bipartisan Redistricting Commission created. Establishes a five-member temporary Commission to prepare redistricting plans in 2011 and each tenth year thereafter for the House of Delegates, state Senate, and congressional districts. Appointments to the Commission shall be made one each by the four majority and minority party leaders of the House and Senate from a pool of 24 retired judges appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Those four appointees shall appoint the fifth member and chairman for the Commission from the pool, or if they cannot agree, the Chief Justice, by lot, shall select the chairman from the pool. The Commission will prepare plans and submit them to the General Assembly. The General Assembly may accept, reject, or amend the plans submitted by the Commission or any member. The Commission shall make recommendations with respect to amendments to the Commission plan and to other plans and may submit additional plans. The bill spells out the standards and process to be followed by the Commission in preparing plans, including opportunities for public comment on the plans. This bill is identical to SB 625.
Patron - Moran

F HB860

Special emergency power of the Secretary of the State Board of Elections to maintain uniform application of election laws to special elections. Provides that the Secretary may suspend the implementation of an amendment to the election laws for no more than 60 days in the locality or localities in which a special election is being held on a day other than a general election day if implementation of the amendment would result in a change in the election rules already being applied to the special election.
Patron - Ebbin

F HB907

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.
Patron - Jones, D.C.

F HB1069

Elections; absentee voting and absentee ballot applications. Provides that any person who will be commuting to perform volunteer service on election day may vote absentee if his commute and service time equals 11 or more hours of the 13 hours that the polls are open.
Patron - Brink

F HB1070

Redistricting process. Creates a seven-member Citizen Advisory Redistricting Board to prepare and recommend state legislative and congressional redistricting plans for consideration and enactment by the General Assembly. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court designates a special master who is chair. The Governor appoints four members from recommendations (three each) of the majority and minority leaders in each house. The remaining two Board members are appointed by the Governor after considering recommendations of the state party committee chairs of parties with candidates receiving at least 25 percent of the vote in the last gubernatorial election. This bill adopts apportionment standards of federal and state law (currently, population equality, compactness, and contiguity). This bill is patterned in part after the Vermont redistricting process and adapted for Virginia's election schedule and district structure. The bill provides for continuation of the Joint Reapportionment Committee to facilitate development of proposed plans by the Citizen Advisory Redistricting Board and enactment of plans by the General Assembly under Article II, Section 6, of the Constitution.
Patron - Brink

F HB1134

Reporting designated campaign contributions to PACs. Requires political action committees, including out-of-state political committees, to report contributions they receive that are designated by the contributor for the election of a particular candidate. Political party committees now are required to file such reports. This bill has been incorporated into HB 359.
Patron - Fralin

F HB1162

Campaign finance disclosure requirements; special reports of certain large contributions by candidates for elected office. Requires immediate disclosure of all contributions of $250 or more received at any time by any candidate for elected office.
Patron - Saxman

F HB1276

Elections; persons entitled to vote absentee. Adds persons age 65 and older to the list of persons eligible to vote absentee.
Patron - Spruill

F HB1278

Elections; 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. The bill takes effect January 1, 2009. This bill is identical to HB 621.
Patron - Spruill

F HB1389

Reporting designated campaign contributions. Requires political committees, out-of-state political committees, and federal political action committees to report contributions they receive that are designated for the election of a particular candidate. Political party committees and organized political party groups of elected officials are the only entities currently required to report such information. Such committees will be required to provide a candidate's campaign committee with information regarding the contributor of the designated contribution so that the candidate can identify that contribution on his or her campaign finance report. In turn, candidate campaign committees will be required to report designated contributions transmitted from such committees as being made by the person who designated the contribution. The provisions of the bill will become effective January 1, 2009. This bill is identical to HB 359 and SB 452. This bill has been incorporated into HB 359.
Patron - Brink

F HB1536

Election for abolition of constitutional officers. Provides that such election may be held at the time of the Presidential election in addition to at the time of election for members of the governing body.
Patron - Marshall, D.W.

F SB8

Elections; absentee voting. Provides that qualified voters may vote absentee in person without providing an excuse or reason for not being able to vote in person on election day. The bill retains the present statutory list of specific reasons entitling a voter to cast an absentee ballot for those persons who vote absentee by mail. This bill is identical to SB 69 and HB 309. This bill has been incorporated into SB 69.
Patron - Deeds

F SB38

Bipartisan Redistricting Commission created. Establishes a seven-member temporary commission to prepare redistricting plans in 2011 and each tenth year thereafter for the House of Delegates, state Senate, and congressional districts. Appointments to the commission shall be made one each by the four majority and minority party leaders of the House and Senate and by the state chairmen of the two major political parties. Those six appointees shall appoint the seventh member and chairman for the commission. If they cannot agree, they shall submit the names of the two persons receiving the most votes to the Supreme Court for the Court to select the chairman. The commission will prepare plans and submit them as bills to the General Assembly. The General Assembly shall then proceed to act on the bills in the usual manner. The bill provides for Commission comments on plans as they change in the legislative process. It also spells out the standards and process to be followed by the Commission in preparing plans, including limitations on the use of political data and opportunities for public comment on the plans. This bill incorporates SBs 105, 243, and 625.
Patron - Deeds

F SB69

Elections; absentee voting. Provides that qualified voters may vote absentee in person without providing an excuse or reason for not being able to vote in person on election day. The bill retains the present statutory list of specific reasons entitling a voter to cast an absentee ballot for those persons who vote absentee by mail. This bill is identical to SB 8 and HB 309. This bill incorporates SBs 8 and 646.
Patron - Howell

F SB82

Elections; form of ballot. Provides that any candidate for a constitutional office who is nominated by a political party shall be identified on the ballot by the name of his party. Current law provides for party identification on the ballot of candidates only for federal, statewide, and General Assembly offices. The law defines a constitutional office as the county or city office of the clerk of the circuit court, attorney for the Commonwealth, sheriff, commissioner of the revenue, or treasurer.
Patron - Cuccinelli

F SB105

Redistricting process. Provides a new method for the preparation of state legislative and congressional redistricting plans; spells out standards for developing plans including population equality, compactness, maintenance of cores of existing districts, and respect for locality boundaries; 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. This bill has been incorporated into SB 38.
Patron - Cuccinelli

F SB190

Elections; lists of registered voters. Permits the State Board of Elections to furnish address lists of registered voters, but not names, at a reasonable cost to local school division superintendents solely for use in conducting the triennial census of school population. This bill is identical to HB 199.
Patron - Herring

F SB243

Virginia Redistricting Commission created. Establishes a seven-member commission to prepare redistricting plans in 2011 and each tenth year thereafter for the House of Delegates, state Senate, and congressional districts. Six appointments to the commission shall be made, one each, by the President pro tempore of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Delegates, minority leaders of the Senate and House, and chairmen of the two major political parties. Those six appointees shall appoint the seventh member and chairman for the commission. The commission will prepare plans and submit them to the General Assembly. The General Assembly may accept or reject the first two plans submitted by the commission and may amend the third plan submitted by the commission. The bill spells out the standards and process to be followed by the commission in preparing plans, including opportunities for public comment on the plans. This bill has been incorporated into SB 38.
Patron - Howell

F SB277

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 at-large 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. This bill is identical to HB 42.
Patron - Miller, J.C.

F SB523

Elections; paper and machine ballots; write-in votes. Provides that write-in votes will be counted only if the last name of the write-in candidate is spelled correctly as determined by the chief officer of election at the polling place. Ballots with misspelled names shall be void.
Patron - Wagner

F SB534

Campaign finance disclosure; where and how to file candidate reports. Requires candidates, beginning January 1, 2009, for the General Assembly and for local or constitutional offices in counties and cities with a population greater than 100,000 to file campaign finance disclosure reports electronically with the State Board of Elections. Present law gives General Assembly and local candidates the option to file electronically with the State Board. The bill applies statewide to the General Assembly candidates and to the Counties of Fairfax, Prince William, Henrico, Chesterfield, Arlington, and Loudoun and the Cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Richmond, Newport News, Hampton, Alexandria, and Portsmouth with respect to local candidates.
Patron - Herring

F SB554

Elections; voter identification requirements; absentee voting eligibility and procedures. Revises the list of items that a voter may show to prove identification at the polls. The bill adds to the list several items now allowed to prove the identity of first-time voters for federal elections: a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, or paycheck that shows the name and address of the voter. The bill deletes the provision that allows a voter to sign a sworn statement that he is the named registered voter he claims to be in lieu of showing identification.
Patron - Obenshain

F SB625

Bipartisan Redistricting Commission created. Establishes a five-member temporary Commission to prepare redistricting plans in 2011 and each tenth year thereafter for the House of Delegates, state Senate, and congressional districts. Appointments to the Commission shall be made one each by the four majority and minority party leaders of the House and Senate from a pool of 24 retired judges appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Those four appointees shall appoint the fifth member and chairman for the Commission from the pool, or if they cannot agree, the Chief Justice, by lot, shall select the chairman from the pool. The Commission will prepare plans and submit them to the General Assembly. The General Assembly may accept, reject, or amend the plans submitted by the Commission or any member. The Commission shall make recommendations with respect to amendments to the Commission plan and to other plans and may submit additional plans. The bill spells out the standards and process to be followed by the Commission in preparing plans, including opportunities for public comment on the plans. This bill is identical to HB 836. This bill has been incorporated into SB 38.
Patron - Stolle

F SB646

Elections; absentee voting. Provides that qualified voters may vote absentee in person without providing an excuse or reason for not being able to vote in person on election day. The bill retains the present statutory list of specific reasons entitling a voter to cast an absentee ballot for those persons who vote absentee by mail. This bill has been incorporated into SB 69.
Patron - Ticer

F SB790

Nominating political party candidates for office. Repeals the provision that (i) allows an incumbent General Assembly member to select the method of nomination to be used in nominating the candidate of his political party for his office and (ii) provides for other offices that the party shall nominate its candidate by a primary if the incumbent officeholder was nominated by primary and does not agree to waive a primary. The repealed provisions are exceptions to the general provision that the political party has the right to determine the method it will use to nominate its candidates.
Patron - Cuccinelli

Carried Over

C HB20

Primary elections; voter registration by political party. 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 January 1, 2009, 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 state party chairman of each political party must notify the State Board by January 31 of each year of the party rules governing who may participate in the party primary.
Patron - Lingamfelter

C HB65

Elections; photo identification required to vote. Specifies that a voter must present a photo identification document issued by Virginia or the United States to vote and eliminates other alternatives now provided under Virginia law. This bill is patterned after the Indiana statute that is the subject of pending cases before the United States Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the requirement.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

C HB88

Primary elections; voter registration by political party. Adds party affiliation to the information that an applicant is asked to provide when registering to vote beginning January 1, 2009. The applicant may indicate that he is an independent. Voters registered prior to January 1, 2009, will be designated as independent unless they provide a political party designation 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 state party chairman must notify the State Board by January 31 of each year whether the party will close its primaries and permit only registered party members to participate or whether it will open its primaries to party members and independent voters.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

C HB244

Campaign finance reports; custody and retention requirements. Requires local electoral boards and election officials to retain campaign finance reports filed by candidate campaign committees so long as the candidate remains in any elected office.
Patron - O'Bannon

C HB310

Elections; absentee voting. Extends to persons with any disability or illness, rather than only a "physical" disability or illness, the ability to obtain an absentee ballot and provides a definition for "person with a disability." This bill is identical to SB 7.
Patron - Eisenberg

C HB362

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act; materials to be provided by State Board of Elections and Attorney General. Requires the Attorney General to provide a written explanation of the provisions of the Act that prohibit the personal use of campaign funds and to delineate the differences between prohibited personal uses of campaign funds and permitted uses of the funds. The Attorney General's explanation shall be distributed by the State Board to all candidates, committees, and persons subject to the Act's provisions.
Patron - Purkey

C HB619

Elections; prohibited activities at the polls. Adds campaign advertisements as defined in the "stand by your ad" law to the list of campaign materials that cannot be exhibited within the polling place or prohibited area around the polling place. The bill also creates an exception to the prohibition for a voter's wearing apparel and buttons or stickers on a voter's apparel that contain a candidate's name or a political slogan.
Patron - Brink

C HB621

Elections; 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. The bill takes effect January 1, 2009. This bill is identical to HB 1278.
Patron - Brink

C HB638

Elections; acquisition of voting equipment by localities; securing voting equipment after the election. Deletes the provision enacted in 2007 that prohibits the acquisition of direct recording electronic (DRE) machines by any locality on and after July 1, 2007. The bill also modifies provisions for securing voting equipment after an election by providing that certain devices do not need to be locked and sealed for 15 days after the election if they are secured by the removal of a memory card, cartridge or other data storage medium and the card, cartridge or other medium is sealed and delivered to the circuit court clerk.
Patron - May

C HB687

Campaign telephone calls; disclosure requirements. Requires that the statement that discloses the name of the sponsor of the phone calls shall be made at the beginning of the phone call.
Patron - Valentine

C HB802

Elections; persons entitled to have name printed on ballot; online listing of candidates. Requires the State Board of Elections to publish on the Internet the names of candidates for federal, statewide, or General Assembly office within 24 hours of the time when the candidate is certified as qualified for the ballot.
Patron - Englin

C HB1577

Elections; emergencies; extension of polling hours. Provides for extension of polling hours in emergency situations. This bill is identical to SB 796.
Patron - Cole

C SB70

Elections; sample ballots. Provides that the State Board of Elections shall assign a different color to each political party that it must use for sample ballots distributed by it during a calendar year.
Patron - Howell

C SB685

Elections; acquisition of voting equipment by localities; securing voting equipment after the election. Deletes the provision enacted in 2007 that prohibits the acquisition of direct recording electronic (DRE) machines by any locality on and after July 1, 2007. The bill also modifies provisions for securing voting equipment after an election by providing that certain devices do not need to be locked and sealed for 15 days after the election if they are secured by the removal of a memory card, cartridge or other data storage medium and the card, cartridge or other medium is sealed and delivered to the circuit court clerk.
Patron - Colgan

C SB796

Elections; emergencies; extension of polling hours. Provides for a court-ordered extension of polling hours in emergency situations and situations that interfere with the ability of voters to travel to the polls. The bill provides that no extension shall exceed three hours.
Patron - Barker

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