Vote centers; pilot program. (HB1599)
Introduced By
Del. Rich Anderson (R-Woodbridge)
Progress
✓ |
Introduced |
✓ |
Passed Committee |
✗ |
Passed House |
☐ |
Passed Senate |
☐ |
Signed by Governor |
☐ |
Became Law |
Description
Vote centers; pilot program. Authorizes the State Board of Elections to provide for a pilot program in which localities may establish vote centers for use in primary elections instead of having to operate a polling place for every precinct in the locality. A vote center will consist of a location where voters from two or more designated precincts may vote. The State Board shall publish a report on the program by August 15 of any year in which a vote center is used. The provisions of the bill expire on December 31, 2016. Read the Bill »
Outcome
Bill Has Failed
History
Date | Action |
---|---|
01/06/2013 | Committee |
01/06/2013 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/09/13 13102801D |
01/06/2013 | Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections |
01/11/2013 | Assigned P & E sub: Campaign Finance Subcommittee |
01/16/2013 | Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (6-Y 0-N) |
01/21/2013 | Impact statement from DPB (HB1599) |
01/25/2013 | Reported from Privileges and Elections with substitute (12-Y 10-N) (see vote tally) |
01/25/2013 | Committee substitute printed 13104188D-H1 |
01/28/2013 | Incorporates HB1942 |
01/28/2013 | Read first time |
01/29/2013 | Read second time |
01/29/2013 | Committee substitute agreed to 13104188D-H1 |
01/29/2013 | Pending question ordered |
01/29/2013 | Engrossment refused by House |
02/14/2013 | Impact statement from DPB (HB1599H1) |
Video
This bill was discussed on the floor of the General Assembly. Below is all of the video that we have of that discussion, 1 clip in all, totaling 21 minutes.
Comments
The ACLU of Virginia is monitoring this bill. The ACLU of Virginia supports creating opportunities to make voting easier, however the Virginia Constitution requires that elections be administered uniformly throughout the Commonwealth.
This is a great idea.
In the June 2012 Republican Senate primary in Charlottesville, only 427 out of more than 29,000 registered voters cast a ballot. In one precinct, only one voter showed up all day -- even though that precinct had to be fully staffed from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m., just like all the others.
Similarly, in the 2012 Republican presidential primary in Charlottesville, only 750 voters (out of a possible 28,264) cast a ballot. One precinct -- fully staffed for 14 hours -- saw only 9 voters all day.
If the City of Charlottesville had been able to operate vote centers for those two elections, we would have been able to save taxpayers about $25,000 or $30,000.
Using vote centers to consolidate operations in low-turnout elections like this will save a lot of money and manpower and will be a real morale-booster for election officials around the Commonwealth.
This provision would assist localities in reducing the cost of elections. Since primaries draw fewer voters in most localities, across Virginia the savings would be significant. I know that this would help here in Bristol, where a very small percentage of voters show up for primaries.
A voting center for a primary will seem more direct since most voters don't see this as part of the overall process; a primary is the starting point of the process.