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2000 SESSION

006914416
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 189
Offered January 24, 2000
Establishing a joint subcommittee to study the potential for Internet voting in the Commonwealth.
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Patrons-- Couric; Delegates: May, Plum and Van Yahres
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, there may be many causes for the abysmal voter participation in the November 1999 General Assembly and local elections and the 1998 congressional elections when only 36.1 percent and 33.0 percent, respectively, of Virginia’s registered voters turned out to vote; and

WHEREAS, studies indicate a variety of reasons for low turnout -- inconvenience for voters, lack of time to vote, uncontested seats, bad weather, and Virginia’s annual election timetable –- and the Commonwealth should seek every means to promote access to the polls and broaden voter participation; and

WHEREAS, online voting has the potential to increase voter access to elections, complements the Commonwealth’s involvement in technological and computer developments, and should be examined for its potential as a safe, secure, and cost-effective new voting device; and

WHEREAS, the past year has seen new developments in Internet voting techniques, and the states are beginning to test Internet voting for good features and flaws in real elections and straw polls; and

WHEREAS, Alaska Republicans in three remote districts with 3,500 registered Republicans will have the opportunity to participate in the January 24 Republican straw poll in the presidential primary process by voting on the Internet; and

WHEREAS, Arizona Democrats plan to allow online voting at their presidential primary March 11, and voters will be able to vote on computers at polling places or from home on their personal computers; and

WHEREAS, 5,330 students in sixteen public and private, middle and high schools in Albemarle, Henrico, Page, and Shenandoah Counties and the City of Charlottesville participated in a mock election for General Assembly seats this past October with 4,226 voting on the Internet and the remainder by paper ballots; and

WHEREAS, four states (Texas, Florida, South Carolina, and Utah) now plan to work with the military and the Federal Voting Assistance Program to allow troops stationed overseas to vote online in November, and the National Science Foundation will have the opportunity to evaluate this program; and

WHEREAS, California, Iowa, and Washington are examining online voting options; and

WHEREAS, these developments make it timely to examine the hurdles to Internet voting in the Commonwealth and the potential of this new technology to promote voter turnout in Virginia and reduce election costs for its localities; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That a joint subcommittee be established to evaluate the pros and cons of initiating Internet voting in the Commonwealth. The subcommittee shall be composed of nine voting members as follows: three members of the Senate and one citizen member, appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections; and four members of the House of Delegates and one citizen member, appointed by the Speaker.

In conducting its study, the joint subcommittee shall review developments in the practical application of online voting, its use in other states, issues of security and ballot secrecy, and the costs and potential cost savings for localities of introducing this technology into the election process.

The direct costs of this study shall not exceed $9,800. An estimated $2,000 is allocated for consultant expenses and travel reimbursement. Such expenses shall be funded from the operational budget of the Clerk of the Senate.

The Center for Governmental Studies at the University of Virginia shall provide staff support for the study. The State Board of Elections, the Department of Information Technology, and the Division of Legislative Services shall provide technical assistance. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the joint subcommittee, upon request.

The joint subcommittee shall complete its work in time to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 2001 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for processing legislative documents.

Implementation of this resolution is subject to subsequent approval and certification by the Joint Rules Committee. The Committee may withhold expenditures or delay the period for the conduct of the study.