HJ661: Commending the Henrico County Registrar's Office.


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 661
Offered January 29, 2021
Commending the Henrico County Registrar's Office.
Patrons-- VanValkenburg, Adams, D.M., Bagby and Willett

WHEREAS, the Henrico County Registrar’s Office ably responded to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring smooth and efficient processes for early in-person voting and absentee voting during the 2020 United States presidential election; and

WHEREAS, led by Mark J. Coakley, general registrar, and Anne Marie Middlesworth, deputy registrar, the Henrico County Registrar’s Office worked diligently to address safety concerns and prepare for record voter turnout; and

WHEREAS, in an effort to reduce crowds and wait times on election day, the Henrico County Registrar’s Office and other registrars’ offices throughout the Commonwealth offered early in-person voting, which nearly 68,000 people participated in early in-person voting in Henrico County from September 18 to October 31; and

WHEREAS, the Henrico County Registrar’s Office sent out 47,000 absentee ballots earlier in the fall, more than three times the number of absentee ballots in the past three presidential elections, and implemented preprocessing to efficiently handle the record-breaking number of ballots; and

WHEREAS, while nearly 50 percent of registered voters participated in some form of early voting, the Henrico County Registrar’s Office prepared to serve significant numbers of voters at polling places throughout the county on election day; and

WHEREAS, at all in-person voting sites, including local precincts and early voting stations at the Henrico County Registrar’s Office, personnel demonstrated a commitment to the safety of poll workers and voters by checking for masks, placing physical distance markers, and sanitizing voting booths between uses; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Henrico County Registrar’s Office for its outstanding performance of its duties during the 2020 United States presidential election; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Henrico County Registrar’s Office as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for its achievements in service to the residents of Henrico County.