Absentee voting; persons eligible to vote absentee in person. (SB677)
Introduced By
Sen. Janet Howell (D-Reston) with support from co-patron Del. Marcus Simon (D-Falls Church)
Progress
✓ |
Introduced |
✗ |
Passed Committee |
☐ |
Passed House |
☐ |
Passed Senate |
☐ |
Signed by Governor |
☐ |
Became Law |
Description
Elections; absentee voting; no-excuse, in-person. Allows qualified voters to vote absentee in person without providing an excuse for not being able to vote in person on election day. The bill retains the statutory list of specific reasons allowing a voter to cast an absentee ballot by mail. Read the Bill »
Outcome
Bill Has Failed
History
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 09/03/2014 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/14/15 15100241D |
| 09/03/2014 | Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections |
| 01/20/2015 | Impact statement from DHCD (SB0677) |
| 01/20/2015 | Assigned to P&E sub: Elections |
| 01/22/2015 | Impact statement from DPB (SB677) |
| 02/03/2015 | Committee substitute printed to Web only 15103650D-S1 |
| 02/03/2015 | Failed to report (defeated) in Privileges and Elections (7-Y 8-N) (see vote tally) |
| 02/03/2015 | Incorporates SB954 |
| 02/04/2015 | Incorporates SB954 |
Comments
Fair and equal for all.
The ACLU of Virginia supports legislation that expands the opportunity to vote by absentee ballot without having to provide a reason or excuse; however this bill only applies to in-person absentee ballot voters. There are too many Virginia voters who do not have access to in-person absentee voting locations because of disabilities, lack of transportation, or work schedules that conflict with in-person absentee voting hours. No-excuse absentee voting should be available to all qualified voters through the mail and by in-person methods.
The ACLU of Virginia strongly supports legislation that expands the opportunity to vote by absentee ballot without having to provide a reason or excuse; however this bill only applies to in-person absentee ballot voters. There are too many Virginia voters who do not have access to in-person absentee voting sites because of disabilities, lack of transportation, or work schedules that conflict with in-person absentee voting hours. Additionally, voters should not have to provide statutory permitted reason or excuse to vote by absentee ballot because disclosure of confidential or sensitive information raises privacy concerns. No-excuse absentee voting should be available to all qualified voters through the mail and by in-person methods.
The ACLU of Virginia strongly supports legislation that expands the opportunity to vote by absentee ballot without having to provide a reason or excuse; however this bill only applies to in-person absentee ballot voters. There are too many Virginia voters who do not have access to in-person absentee voting sites because of disabilities, lack of transportation, or work schedules that conflict with in-person absentee voting hours. Additionally, voters should not have to provide statutory permitted reason or excuse to vote by absentee ballot because disclosure of confidential or sensitive information raises privacy concerns. No-excuse absentee voting should be available to all qualified voters through the mail and by in-person methods.