Voter registration; required information on application form. (HB9)

Introduced By

Del. Mark Cole (R-Fredericksburg) with support from co-patrons Del. Rick Morris (R-Carrollton), and Del. Margaret Ransone (R-Kinsale)

Progress

Introduced
Passed Committee
Passed House
Passed Senate
Signed by Governor
Became Law

Description

Voter registration; application; form and required information. Specifies in greater detail the information that applicants for voter registration are required to provide on the voter registration application form. The bill also requires the general registrars to deny the application of any applicant who fails to provide his full name or indicate that he does not have a middle name; fails to provide his gender, date of birth, or social security number or indicate that he does not have a social security number; fails to provide his citizenship status or provides that he is not a U.S. citizen; fails to provide his residence address or indicate rural residence location or homelessness; fails to provide information regarding the circumstances of restoration of his voting rights after felony convictions, if any, or adjudications of mental incapacity, if any; fails to provide previous voter registration information or indicate lack thereof; or fails to indicate that he will be, or indicates that he will not be, at least 18 years of age on or before the date of the next general election. Read the Bill »

Outcome

Bill Has Failed

History

DateAction
11/16/2015Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/16 16100569D
11/16/2015Committee
11/16/2015Committee
11/16/2015Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/16 16100569D
11/16/2015Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
01/14/2016Assigned to sub: Subcommittee Elections
01/14/2016Assigned P & E sub: Subcommittee Elections
01/14/2016Assigned P & E sub:
01/15/2016Impact statement from DPB (HB9)
02/02/2016Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (5-Y 2-N)
02/05/2016Reported from Privileges and Elections with amendments (14-Y 7-N) (see vote tally)
02/08/2016Read first time
02/09/2016Read second time
02/09/2016Committee amendments agreed to
02/09/2016Engrossed by House as amended HB9E
02/09/2016Printed as engrossed 16100569D-E
02/10/2016Read third time and passed House (64-Y 31-N)
02/10/2016VOTE: PASSAGE (64-Y 31-N) (see vote tally)
02/11/2016Constitutional reading dispensed
02/11/2016Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
02/23/2016Reported from Privileges and Elections with amendments (7-Y 6-N) (see vote tally)
02/25/2016Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
02/26/2016Read third time
02/26/2016Reading of amendments waived
02/26/2016Committee amendments agreed to
02/26/2016Engrossed by Senate as amended
02/26/2016Passed Senate with amendments (22-Y 18-N) (see vote tally)
02/29/2016Placed on Calendar
03/01/2016Senate amendments agreed to by House (59-Y 33-N)
03/01/2016VOTE: ADOPTION (59-Y 33-N) (see vote tally)
03/02/2016Enrolled
03/02/2016Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB9ER)
03/02/2016Impact statement from DPB (HB9ER)
03/02/2016Signed by Speaker
03/05/2016G Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, Monday, April 11, 2016
03/05/2016Signed by President
03/07/2016Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on 3/7/16
03/07/2016G Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, Sunday, April 10, 2016
03/23/2016G Vetoed by Governor
04/20/2016Placed on Calendar
04/20/2016House sustained Governor's veto (66-Y 34-N)
04/20/2016VOTE: OVERRIDE GOVERNOR'S VETO (66-Y 34-N)
04/20/2016Requires 67 afirmative votes to override Governor's veto

Video

This bill was discussed on the floor of the General Assembly. Below is all of the video that we have of that discussion, 3 clips in all, totaling 6 minutes.

Transcript

This is a transcript of the video clips in which this bill is discussed.

THOSE OUTSIDE THE IMMEDIATE GUARDIAN OF THE INDIVIDUAL. I ASK THAT WE ACCEPT THE HOUSE AMENDMENTS WITH MAKES IT IDENTICAL TO A BILL PREVIOUSLY PASSED OUT OF THE SENATE.

Del. Bill Howell (R-Fredericksburg): THANK YOU, SENATOR. THE QUESTION IS SHALL THE SENATE CONCUR WITH THE RECORD THEIR VOTES AYE, THOSE OPPOSED NO. ARE THE SENATORS READY TO VOTE? HAVE ALL THE SENATORS VOTED? DO ANY SENATORS DESIRE TO CHANGE THEIR VOTE? THE CLERK WILL CLOSE THE ROLL.

[Unknown]: AYES 39, NOS 0. AYES 39, NOS 0. THE SCIENCE CONCURS WITH THE HOUSE -- SENATE CONCURS WITH THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTE. SENATE BILL 543 PASSED THE HOUSE WITH AMENDMENT. SENATOR FROM ROCKINGHAM, SENATOR OBENSHAIN. I MOVE THAT THE HOUSE AMENDMENT BE AGREED TO. THIS AMENDMENT SIMPLY CLARIFIES THAT THIS BILL IS NOT TO BE RETROACTIVELY APPLIED.

Del. Bill Howell (R-Fredericksburg): THANK YOU, SENATOR. THE QUESTION IS SHALL THE SENATE CONCUR WITH THE HOUSE RECORD THEIR VOTES AYE, THOSE OPPOSED NO. ARE THE SENATORS READY TO VOTE? HAVE ALL THE SENATORS VOTED? DO ANY SENATORS DESIRE TO CHANGE THEIR VOTE? THE CLERK WILL CLOSE THE ROLL.

[Unknown]: AYES 39, NOS 0. AYES 39, NOS 0. THE SENATE CONCURS WITH THE HOUSE AMENDMENT. SENATE BILL 567 PASSED THE HOUSE WITH AMENDMENT. SENATOR FROM SOUTHERN FAIRFAX COUNTY, SENATOR BARKER. MR. PRESIDENT, I MOVE THAT WE CONCUR WITH THE HOUSE AMENDMENT. THIS IS A BILL THAT DEALS WITH


Del. Mark Cole (R-Fredericksburg): STANDARD ACROSS THE STATE FOR WHAT MUST BE INCLUDED ON A VOTER REGISTRATION APPLICATION FOR IT TO BE ACCEPTED. IT DOES NOT ADD ANY REQUIREMENTS FOR VOTER REGISTRATION FORMS. AND WILL BE ACCEPTED AS A COMPLETE APPLICATION. IT'S UP TO THE LEGISLATION ON WHAT WILL BE ACCEPTABLE TO ONE LOCATION MAY NOT BE ACCEPTABLE IN ANOTHER. SO I'M DISAPPOINTED AND I CONSIDER THIS TO BE A NONCONTROVERSIAL BILL. AND AGAIN, IT PROVIDES A UNIFORM STANDARD ACROSS THE STATE. AND I MOVE WE OVERRIDE THE

Comments

ACLU-VA Voting Rights, tracking this bill in Photosynthesis, notes:

The ACLU of Virginia opposes this bill.

Waldo Jaquith writes:

This encodes in law things that should be up to the State Board of Elections to settle on. For instance this:

The form shall contain the question "Will you be at least 18 years of age on or before the next general election day?" and check boxes for the applicant to indicate "yes" or "no."

This is really dumb. In Virginia people can register to vote online. If this bill passes, it precludes a better system from being built online. For instance, the very first step in the registration process could be to ask somebody "Will you be 18 years of age on or before March 1, 2016?", with big "yes" and "no" buttons. If they answer "no," then they are informed that they are not eligible to vote, and the the process ends. But, under this law, instead you have to have check boxes not buttons. Check boxes are the wrong UI element on a website—you'd want to use either radio buttons or, again, big actual buttons. And the question could be worded dynamically, to insert the next election date, instead of expecting the applicant to know the date of the next election. None of that would be permitted, under this law. Better still, the applicant could just enter their birthdate, and the website could do the math for them. Again, not allowed.

I know what Del. Cole is going for here, but he seems to be unaware that the registration process does not exist solely on paper. What he's advocating for makes zero sense for the 2016 voter registration process.

Emmy Hoopes writes:

I'm not sure voter fraud is something that: A. exists & B. requires the state's time $money$ or attention. I consider this bill offensive and as they said above "stupid"

Victoria Esarey writes:

I do not understand why failure to disclose a middle name is so significant. People often assume a woman will use her maiden name as middle name, but many don't. What about folks who so rarely use a middle name that they don't even think about it. Is this a "gotcha" question, or would the registrar actually ask aloud if there is a middle name? This bill seems to be aimed at reducing the number of voters. I too would like to know how many illegal efforts there are at voting during any Virginia state or national election.