Absentee voting; mandatory processing of returned absentee ballots before election day. (SB1246)

Introduced By

Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath) with support from co-patrons Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-Herndon), Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria), Sen. Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond), Sen. Dick Saslaw (D-Springfield), and Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Mount Vernon)

Progress

✓	Introduced
☐	Passed Committee
☐	Passed House
☐	Passed Senate
☐	Signed by Governor
☐	Became Law

Description

Absentee voting; mandatory processing of returned absentee ballots before election day; central absentee voter precinct in the office of the general registrar. Requires certain actions to be taken to process absentee ballots that are returned by mail before election day. The general registrar is required to (i) examine the ballot envelopes to verify completion of the required voter affirmation; (ii) mark the pollbook, or the absentee voter applicant list if the pollbook is not available, that the voter has voted; and (iii) direct the officers of election at a central absentee precinct to open the sealed ballot envelopes and insert the ballots in optical scan counting equipment or other secure ballot container without initiating any ballot count totals. Under current law, the general registrar is required to conduct preprocessing of absentee ballots before election day only as needed. To facilitate preprocessing as provided in the bill, the bill requires a central absentee voter precinct to be established and maintained in each locality. Additional central absentee voter precincts may be established at the discretion of the governing body. Read the Bill »

Status

04/14/2021: Awaiting a Vote in the Privileges and Elections Committee

History

Date	Action
01/11/2021	Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21100746D
01/11/2021	Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
01/19/2021	Impact statement from DPB (SB1246)
01/26/2021	Reported from Privileges and Elections with substitute (15-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
01/26/2021	Incorporates SB1376 (Saslaw)
01/26/2021	Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
01/26/2021	Committee substitute printed 21103760D-S1
01/28/2021	Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
01/29/2021	Passed by for the day
02/01/2021	Passed by for the day
02/01/2021	Impact statement from DPB (SB1246S1)
02/02/2021	Read second time
02/02/2021	Reading of substitute waived
02/02/2021	Committee substitute agreed to 21103760D-S1
02/02/2021	Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB1246S1
02/02/2021	Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
02/02/2021	Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
02/07/2021	Placed on Calendar
02/07/2021	Read first time
02/07/2021	Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
02/08/2021	Continued to Special Session 1 in Privileges and Elections
02/10/2021	Assigned P & E sub: Election Administration
02/16/2021	Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (8-Y 0-N)
03/01/2021	Left in Privileges and Elections