Elections
P
Passed
- P HB1503
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Voting precincts; size requirements. Modifies the present law's requirement that counties and cities revise voting precinct boundaries whenever the number of registered voters in a precinct exceeds 5,000. The bill continues the present law's requirement that no precinct should be established that contains more than 5,000 registered voters. However, the requirement to revise precincts will not be triggered unless the number of voters who voted in a precinct in a presidential election exceeds 4,000. Recent increases in the number of registered voters have coincided with declines in voter turnout and triggered precinct adjustments when actual voter turnout has not necessitated the precinct changes. The bill does not change the locality's authority to redraw precincts at the locality's option to handle large or growing precincts.
- Patron - Hamilton
- P HB1514
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Emergency applications and absentee ballots for persons incapacitated or hospitalized. Provides that persons hospitalized or incapacitated within the seven, rather than five, days before an election will be able to apply for and receive an emergency absentee ballot.
- Patron - Puller
- P HB1692
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Biennial election of Giles County supervisors; initial terms. Authorizes the Giles County Board of Supervisors to provide by ordinance that, in the event the board adopts an ordinance providing for biennial elections of the board for staggered for four-year terms, the initial terms of members elected from districts shall be four years and those of members elected at large shall be two years. General law requires that the assignment of initial terms to establish the staggered election schedule be done by lot. These provisions will also apply to the elected school board, whose terms are tied by law to those of the supervisors.
- Patron - Baker
- P HB1709
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Assistant general registrars. Requires Russell County, by population bracket, to have at least one full-time assistant registrar. Currently, any county or city of more than 15,500 is required to have at least one assistant registrar who serves at least one day a week.
- Patron - Phillips
- P HB1852
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State Board of Elections; powers and duties. Requires the State Board to ensure adequate, annual training for local electoral board members and general registrars by offering training annually or more often, as appropriate.
- Patron - Van Landingham
- P HB1853
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Voter registration records; lists of decedents and felons. Provides that the monthly lists furnished to the State Board of Elections by the State Registrar of Vital Records and Division of Criminal Records, respectively, shall be transmitted electronically in a format specified by the State Board. The bill requires the State Board to maintain a cumulative permanent record of the information on decedents and felons for use in administering the voter registration system. The bill takes effect April 1, 2000.
- Patron - Van Landingham
- P HB1854
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Administration of voter registration laws and the National Voter Registration Act. Establishes a National Voter Registration Act Coordinating Committee consisting of representatives of the State Board of Elections, Department of Motor Vehicles, three other agencies providing voter registration opportunities, and general registrars. The committee will report recommendations to the Secretary of the State Board. The bill also provides for the electronic transfer of information from DMV to the State Board and general registrars.
- Patron - Van Landingham
- P HB1863
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Filing of campaign finance disclosure reports as condition to qualification for office. Allows a person elected to fill a vacancy at a November or May general election to qualify more quickly for the office and provides for the issuing of a certificate of election to that person as soon as he files a post-election report complete through the election day. Present law prohibits the person who is elected to fill a vacancy on a general election day from qualifying for the office or receiving his certificate of election until the filing of the usual post-election report which is due the 30th day after the November election day complete through the 23rd day after the election day or due by June 15 after a May general election day complete through June 10. The person elected would still be required to file the normal post-election report, but he would be allowed to take office as soon as he files a post-election report complete through the election day.
- Patron - McQuigg
- P HB1959
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Election law offenses; filings of complaints with attorney for the Commonwealth. Provides that complaints of violations involving false statements on registration applications shall be filed with the attorney for the Commonwealth of the county or city where the applicant seeks to register. Present law provides generally that a complaint of an election law violation is to be filed where the offense occurred. A case involving a false application to register by mail was dismissed when it was brought in the jurisdiction that received the application because the application had been mailed and the Commonwealth could not show where the offense occurred.
- Patron - Devolites
- P HB1961
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Voter identification; replacement absentee ballots. Authorizes the State Board of Elections to conduct a pilot program in ten or fewer localities requiring voter identification at the polls. The bill also provides that a voter may obtain a replacement absentee ballot for a lost or spoiled ballot. Present law allows a voter to obtain a replacement ballot if he signs a statement that he did not receive the ballot. The bill adds provisions to cover lost and spoiled ballots.
- Patron - Devolites
- P HB2010
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Campaign finance disclosure reports; electronic filings. Provides explicitly that candidates for the General Assembly may file reports electronically with the State Board of Elections and with the local electoral board so long as the local board has equipment to receive reports electronically. The bill also specifies that the address for a contributing corporation or other entity need be listed only once on the report of contributions received.
- Patron - Van Landingham
- P HB2219
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Vacancies in local governing body, elected school board, or office of mayor. Allows the governing body or school board 45 days, rather than the current 30 days, to make an interim appointment to fill a vacancy. In counties, cities, and larger towns, the person appointed serves until the vacancy can be permanently filled by special election.
- Patron - Behm
- P HB2647
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Temporary registration for state and local elections. Permits persons (and their spouses and dependents residing with them) who have been registered to vote in Virginia and who move overseas for purposes of employment to continue to vote in state and local elections in Virginia under certain conditions. The bill implements the constitutional amendment to Article II, Section 1, approved by the voters in 1998.
- Patron - Katzen
- P HB2651
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Voting equipment custodians. Permits an electoral board to appoint a member of the board or registrar to serve as a custodian without pay for such service. The bill applies only to localities using mark sense ballots and electronic ballot counters.
- Patron - Katzen
- P HB2759
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Lists of registered voters; lists of addresses for census and database purposes. Authorizes the State Board of Elections to furnish, at a reasonable price, lists of registered voter addresses to local census liaisons to provide address information to the United States Bureau of the Census and to furnish the lists to the Clerks of the Senate and House of Delegates for maintaining a constituent database. The lists furnished for these purposes are not to show voters' names. The bill also authorizes the Board to furnish information to the Department of Motor Vehicles and other appropriate state agencies to maintain the voter registration system and permits registrars from multiple jurisdictions to staff registration sites at DMV facilities with Board approval.
- Patron - Woodrum
- P SB1002
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Absentee ballots for persons registered temporarily for federal elections. Provides that the electoral board, rather than the general registrar, will provide the absentee ballots to those registered temporarily for federal elections. Generally, under the election laws, the general registrar has responsibilities for registration procedures and the electoral board oversees the ballot process. This change reflects that general policy. Under the proposed bill, the electoral board will have primary responsibility for the ballots and will be able to delegate those responsibilities, as appropriate, to the general registrar in accordance with instructions from the State Board of Elections.
- Patron - Ticer
- P SB1122
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Absentee voting and applications for absentee ballots. Allows a person to vote absentee if he anticipates that business or personal obligations may jeopardize his ability to vote in person on election day. For example, a person whose work and commuting schedule may not allow him to get to the polls on election day will be able to vote absentee, or a parent with family obligations that jeopardize his ability to get to the polls on election day will be able to vote absentee.
- Patron - Whipple
- P SB1123
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Elections procedures; precinct registered voter lists and pollbooks. Authorizes the State Board of Elections to conduct pilot projects using a combined printed precinct voter registration list and pollbook in place of the present two printouts during 1999 elections.
- Patron - Whipple
- P SB1124
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Cancellation of voter registration. Provides that a voter may cancel his registration by submitting a signed request for cancellation to the general registrar in person or by first-class mail. Present law requires the voter to sign the authorization for cancellation at the office of the general registrar or otherwise submit a signed and notarized authorization to the general registrar. The bill requires the general registrar to acknowledge receipt of the authorization within ten days of its receipt.
- Patron - Whipple
- P SB1287
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Presidential election year primaries. Permits, but does not require, a political party to elect delegates to its national convention at a presidential primary to be held on the last Tuesday in February. The bill changes the date for municipal primaries in presidential election years from the first Tuesday in March to the last Tuesday in February to coincide with the presidential primary. The bill retains the usual June primary date for all other primaries to nominate candidates for the November election and the usual June deadlines for party nominations by non-primary methods. The costs of a presidential primary will be paid, as is the case for other elections, by the counties and cities.
- Patron - Watkins
F
Failed
- F HB47
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Election law definitions; political parties; petitions for party recognition. Modifies the definition of "political party." Present law requires that a political party must have received at least 10 percent of the total vote cast for a statewide office in one of the two most recent statewide elections. The bill substitutes the "preceding four years" for the prior two elections. The bill also provides an alternative means to gain party status through a petition process requiring 25,000 signatures of qualified voters, including at least 500 signatures from each congressional district.
- Patron - Callahan
- F HB1315
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Elections; procedures at the polls; voter identification. Adds a requirement that the voter present a form of identification when he offers to vote at the polls. The required identification may be any one of the following: his Commonwealth of Virginia voter registration card, his social security card, or any pre-printed form of identification which shows his name and address, name and signature, or name and photograph. If a voter cannot present identification, he may still vote if he signs a statement, subject to felony penalties, that he is the named registered voter he claims to be. Under present law, this voter identification requirement applies only to certain first-time voters who have registered by mail and in certain challenged vote situations.
- Patron - Wilkins
- F HB1502
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Elections; procedures at the polls; voter identification. Adds a requirement that the voter present a form of identification when he offers to vote at the polls. The required identification may be any one of the following: his Commonwealth of Virginia voter registration card, his social security card, or any pre-printed form of identification which shows his name and address, name and signature, or name and photograph. If a voter cannot present identification, he may still vote if he signs a statement, subject to felony penalties, that he is the named registered voter he claims to be. Under present law, this voter identification requirement applies only to certain first-time voters who have registered by mail and in certain challenged vote situations.
- Patron - Hamilton
- F HB1539
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Elections; form of ballots; political party names on ballots. Provides for identification on the ballot of candidates by the name of their political party. Present law prohibits party identification on the ballot except in presidential elections. The bill takes effect January 1, 2000.
- Patron - Purkey
- F HB2049
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Town elections. Allows towns by ordinance to provide for the election of the governing body at the November general election rather than the May general election. Alternatively, voters may petition the circuit court asking that a referendum be held on the question of whether the town shall elect the mayor and council at the November general election. Several other sections are amended to eliminate the assumption that all elections for town governing bodies or school boards are held in May.
- Patron - Weatherholtz
- F HB2065
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Restoration of voting rights to former felons. Adds a procedure for the restoration of the right to register to vote to any person convicted of a nonviolent felony in Virginia, upon completion of sentence, probation, and parole. Completion of sentence, probation, and parole may be evidenced by the instrument discharging the person from prison or supervision. A copy of the discharge instrument shall be filed with the clerk of the court which imposed the sentence. Presently, a person who has been convicted of any felony in Virginia applies to the Governor for restoration of his civil rights. The bill does not preclude any application to the Governor for restoration of civil rights. The bill contains findings by the General Assembly that address the constitutional questions raised by the legislation.
- Patron - Melvin
- F HB2083
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Election law definitions; "residence." Provides, for voting purposes, that a "dependent student," as that term is defined for in-state tuition purposes, shall be presumed to continue to be a resident of the county, city, or town where he was a resident prior to taking up temporary residence at an institution of higher education. The presumption is rebuttable.
- Patron - Baker
- F HB2084
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Election law offenses and penalties. Transfers, with limited exceptions, the provisions setting out election law offenses and penalties from Title 24.2 on election laws to a new Chapter 11.1 on election law offenses in Title 18.2 of the Code of Virginia, which covers crimes and offenses, generally. The bill does not change the substance of any offense or the penalties imposed for election law violations.
- Patron - Baker
- F HB2180
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Restoration of voting rights to former felons. Adds a procedure for the restoration of the right to register to vote to any person convicted of a felony in Virginia, upon completion of sentence, probation, and parole. Completion of sentence, probation, and parole may be evidenced by the instrument discharging the person from prison or supervision. A copy of the discharge instrument shall be filed with the clerk of the court which imposed the sentence. Presently, a person who has been convicted of a felony in Virginia applies to the Governor for restoration of his civil rights. The bill does not preclude any application to the Governor for restoration of civil rights. The bill contains findings by the General Assembly that address the constitutional questions raised by the legislation.
- Patron - Jones, J.C.
- F HB2224
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Political party primaries; blanket primary. Provides that a voter may participate in any primary for any office without regard to political affiliation. However, a voter may not vote in more than one primary for a specific office. Thus, a voter could vote in the Republican primary for Governor and the Democratic primary for the House of Delegates at the same election. The voter could not vote in both a Republican and Democratic primary for Governor at the same election. The bill repeals the provisions relating to separate party pollbooks at the primary.
- Patron - Behm
- F HB2518
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Elections; procedures at the polls; voter identification. Adds a requirement that the voter present a form of identification when he offers to vote at the polls. The required identification may be a driver's license, passport, or other government or employer identification card with a picture of the voter. If a voter cannot present identification, he may still vote if he signs a statement, subject to felony penalties, that he is the named registered voter he claims to be. Under present law, a voter identification requirement applies only to certain first-time voters who have registered by mail and in certain challenged vote situations, and the list of appropriate identification cards or papers is more extensive.
- Patron - Wardrup
- F HB2581
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Advisory referenda in high-growth counties, cities, and towns. Authorizes the voters of a high-growth locality to petition for the holding of an advisory referendum. The petition must state the question to be placed on the ballot and must be signed by voters equal in number to at least 25 percent of the number of voters voting in the preceding presidential election. High-growth localities include any county, city, or town which has had a population growth of 10 percent or more from the next-to-latest to latest decennial census year, based on the population reported by the United States Bureau of the Census; any adjacent city; any towns located within such county; and any county contiguous to at least three such counties and any town located in that county.
- Patron - Murphy
- F HB2709
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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, 2000. The applicant may indicate that he is an independent. Voters registered prior to January 1, 2000, 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 primary to party members and independent voters. Further, the bill (i) adds a requirement that primary candidate petitions must be signed by voters registered as members of the party conducting the primary and (ii) allows an official political party to retain that status so long as at least 15 percent of the Commonwealth's registered voters are registered as members of that party.
- Patron - Katzen
- F SB747
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Assistant general registrars. Requires all counties and cities of more than 20,500 to have at least one full-time assistant registrar. Currently, any county or city of more than 15,500 is required to have at least one assistant registrar who serves at least one day a week.
- Patron - Puckett
- F SB750
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Elections; procedures at the polls; voter identification. Adds a requirement that the voter present a form of identification when he offers to vote at the polls. The required identification may be any one of the following: his Commonwealth of Virginia voter registration card, his social security card, or any pre-printed form of identification which shows his name and address, name and signature, or name and photograph (for example, a driver's license). If a voter cannot present identification, he may still vote if he signs a statement, subject to felony penalties, that he is the named registered voter he claims to be. Under present law, this voter identification requirement applies only to certain first-time voters who have registered by mail and in certain challenged vote situations.
- Patron - Miller, K.G.
- F SB751
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Elections; form of ballots; political party names on ballots. Provides for identification on the ballot in federal, statewide, and General Assembly elections of candidates by the name of their political party. Present law prohibits party identification on the ballot except in presidential elections.
- Patron - Miller, K.G.
- F SB807
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Absentee ballot applications. Requires the State Board of Elections to implement a system, beginning with the general election in November 2000, which enables persons to file absentee ballot applications electronically through the Internet. The bill also ensures that false statements made electronically are punishable the same as any other false statement made in connection with Virginia's election laws (as the crime of election fraud, a Class 5 felony). The bill is a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Technology and Science.
- Patron - Schrock
- F SB1125
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Voter registration records open to public inspection. Provides that any person, rather than only any registered voter, may inspect and copy registration records and that a general registrar may respond to written requests for public information by letter or facsimile. Present law provides only for inspection at the registrar's office during regular business hours.
- Patron - Whipple
- F SB1205
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Electronic voting systems and ballots. Permits a vendor to offer for sale in Virginia electronic voting or counting systems and related ballots without following the usual State Board of Elections verification and testing procedures. The vendor must show that the system and ballots have been approved by the National Association of State Election Directors, and the State Board must find that (i) the system has been successfully tested in an election, (ii) the vendor has adequate financial resources, and (iii) the vendor has provided verification that the system has been successfully tested by an NASED-approved independent testing laboratory.
- Patron - Trumbo
- F SB1253
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Restoration of voting rights to former felons. Adds a procedure for the restoration of the right to register to vote to any person convicted of a nonviolent felony in Virginia, upon completion of sentence, probation, and parole. Completion of sentence, probation, and parole may be evidenced by the instrument discharging the person from prison or supervision. A copy of the discharge instrument shall be filed with the clerk of the court which imposed the sentence. Presently, a person who has been convicted of any felony in Virginia applies to the Governor for restoration of his civil rights. The bill does not preclude any application to the Governor for restoration of civil rights. The bill contains findings by the General Assembly that address the constitutional questions raised by the legislation.
- Patron - Marsh
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