Absentee voting; adds persons disabled & entitled to request assistance in voting who are age 65. (HB1896)
Introduced By
Del. Vivian Watts (D-Annandale)
Progress
✓ |
Introduced |
✗ |
Passed Committee |
☐ |
Passed House |
☐ |
Passed Senate |
☐ |
Signed by Governor |
☐ |
Became Law |
Description
Elections; persons entitled to vote absentee. Adds persons who are disabled and entitled to request assistance in voting and persons who are age 65 and older to the list of persons eligible to vote absentee. Read the Bill »
Outcome
Bill Has Failed
History
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 01/13/2009 | Committee |
| 01/13/2009 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/14/09 091192784 |
| 01/13/2009 | Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections |
| 01/15/2009 | Assigned P & E sub: Elections |
| 01/19/2009 | Subcommittee recommends laying on the table |
| 02/10/2009 | Left in Privileges and Elections |
Comments
Sorry to be do dense, but for Election 2009 anyone who was breathing could use an absentee ballot. Why is this bill necessary?
Why not just have open polls for 3 months so people can vote when they feel like it? No registration or proof of identity. Vote at your local ATM, tattoo parlor, convenience store or DMV office. Why waste valuable school instruction time by closing schools?
State law only permits absentee voting under very narrow circumstances. Though some localities interpreted the law broadly, others did so narrowly, and the result was unequal access to voting. I would have loved to vote absentee, but there was no reading of the law under which it would be legal.
I agree with you about the importance of increasing access to voting, and while three months is a bit longer than perhaps I'd care for, it would be great to see us start down that path of extending the window for voting.