Absentee voting; no-excuse, in-person, beginning on second Saturday immediately preceding election. (SB1026)
Introduced By
Sen. Lionell Spruill (D-Chesapeake) with support from co-patron Del. Kaye Kory (D-Falls Church)
Progress
✓ |
Introduced |
✓ |
Passed Committee |
✓ |
Passed House |
✓ |
Passed Senate |
✓ |
Signed by Governor |
☐ |
Became Law |
Description
Absentee voting; no-excuse in-person voting available beginning on second Saturday immediately preceding election. Allows for any registered voter to vote by absentee ballot in person beginning on the second Saturday immediately preceding any election in which he is qualified to vote without providing a reason or making prior application for an absentee ballot. The bill makes absentee voting in person available beginning on the forty-fifth day prior to the election and ending at 5:00 p.m. on the Saturday immediately preceding the election. The bill retains the current provisions for voting with an absentee ballot by mail or in person prior to the second Saturday immediately preceding the election, including the application requirement and the list of statutory reasons for absentee voting. The provisions of the bill do not become effective until the November 3, 2020, general election, and the State Board of Elections is required to submit a report on the procedures and instructions it promulgates for conducting absentee voting pursuant to the provisions of the bill. This bill is identical to HB 2790. Read the Bill »
Outcome
History
Date | Action |
---|---|
10/17/2018 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/09/19 19100137D |
10/17/2018 | Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections |
01/18/2019 | Impact statement from DHCD/CLG (SB1026) |
01/21/2019 | Impact statement from DPB (SB1026) |
01/29/2019 | Reported from Privileges and Elections with substitute (14-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
01/29/2019 | Committee substitute printed 19106127D-S1 |
01/29/2019 | Incorporates SB1035 (Locke) |
01/29/2019 | Incorporates SB1075 (Howell) |
01/29/2019 | Incorporates SB1198 (Dance) |
01/31/2019 | Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
02/01/2019 | Read second time |
02/01/2019 | Reading of substitute waived |
02/01/2019 | Committee substitute agreed to 19106127D-S1 |
02/01/2019 | Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB1026S1 |
02/04/2019 | Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
02/05/2019 | Impact statement from DPB (SB1026S1) |
02/06/2019 | Placed on Calendar |
02/06/2019 | Read first time |
02/06/2019 | Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections |
02/06/2019 | Assigned P & E sub: Subcommittee #1 |
02/12/2019 | Subcommittee recommends reporting (6-Y 0-N) |
02/15/2019 | House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered |
02/15/2019 | Reported from Privileges and Elections with amendments (18-Y 4-N) (see vote tally) |
02/18/2019 | Read second time |
02/19/2019 | Read third time |
02/19/2019 | Committee amendments agreed to |
02/19/2019 | Engrossed by House as amended |
02/19/2019 | Passed House with amendments (89-Y 10-N) |
02/19/2019 | VOTE: PASSAGE (89-Y 10-N) (see vote tally) |
02/20/2019 | House amendments agreed to by Senate (38-Y 1-N) (see vote tally) |
02/20/2019 | Reconsideration of House amendments agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
02/20/2019 | Passed by for the day |
02/21/2019 | Passed by temporarily |
02/21/2019 | House amendments agreed to by Senate (37-Y 3-N) (see vote tally) |
02/23/2019 | Enrolled |
02/23/2019 | Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB1026ER) |
02/23/2019 | Signed by President |
02/23/2019 | Signed by Speaker |
02/25/2019 | Impact statement from DPB (SB1026ER) |
03/04/2019 | Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 4, 2019 |
03/04/2019 | G Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, March 26, 2019 |
03/21/2019 | G Approved by Governor-Chapter 669 (effective 7/1/19) |
03/21/2019 | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0669) |
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 25 seconds.
Comments
I see no reason why absentee voting should have restrictions. It is all of our best interests to have as many eligible voters vote as possible. This should just be considered early voting. Given available parking, voting machines, voting day workers and other issues, the more people who vote early the better. We need to move to online voting, but given the lack of and expense now for upgraded technology, this is one easy step to improving voter turnout. You could ask for volunteers or even pay day workers to help in registrars' offices on early voting days, just like on voting days now. We could make this happen! I support this bill. Voter in Chesterfield county.
I absolutely support no excuse absentee voting. Requiring an excuse is meant to suppress voting and removing this hurdle will only expand the vote.
The ACLU of VA strongly supports this bill.
This bill is a good thing.
HOWEVER -- it's another example of an unfunded mandate on localities.
I am in a small county with only 9,000 voters and 5 polling places. Now, we will have to open another polling place to accommodate early voting. This will cost us:
-- New voting machines: $12,000
-- New electronic pollbooks ($2,700)
-- Salaries for poll workers: Approx $600 per day X 7 days = $4,200
-- Signs and other miscellaneous for the new polling place: $500
Remember -- in my county we will need only one early polling place. It CANNOT be in the registrar's office, which is too small already. So, we have to find a building centrally located in tne county -- that has parking, handicapped access, place to lock up the voting machines at night, restrooms, etc.
In the case of, say, Fairfax County with 800,000 registered voters, we are talking about several early voting places that will cost some real money. The State needs to kick in a lot of financial assistance to the localities.