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2003 SESSION
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §§ 24.2-506, 24.2-521, and 24.2-543 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 24.2-506. Petition of qualified voters required; number of signatures required; certain towns excepted.
The name of any candidate for any office, other than a party nominee, shall not
be printed upon any official ballots provided for the election unless he shall
file along with his declaration of candidacy a petition therefor, on a form
prescribed by the State Board, signed by the number of qualified voters
specified below after January 1 of the year in which the election is held and
listing the residence address of each such voter. Each signature on the
petition shall have been witnessed by a person who is himself a qualified
voter, or qualified to register to vote, for the office for which he is
circulating the petition and, in the case of a statewide office, is a resident
of the same or a contiguous congressional district as the voter whose signature is
witnessed, and whose affidavit to that effect appears on each page of the
petition.
Each voter signing the petition shall provide on the petition his social security number, if any; however, noncompliance with this requirement shall not be cause to invalidate the voter's signature on the petition.
The minimum number of signatures of qualified voters required for candidate petitions shall be as follows:
1. For a candidate for the United States Senate, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or Attorney General, 10,000 signatures, including the signatures of at least 400 qualified voters from each congressional district in the Commonwealth;
2. For a candidate for the United States House of Representatives, 1,000 signatures;
3. For a candidate for the Senate of Virginia, 250 signatures;
4. For a candidate for the House of Delegates or for a constitutional office, 125 signatures;
5. For a candidate for membership on the governing body or elected school board
of any county or city, 125 signatures; or if from an election district not at
large containing 1,000 or fewer registered voters, fifty 50 signatures;
6. For a candidate for membership on the governing body or elected school board
of any town which has more than 1,500 registered voters, 125 signatures; or if
from a ward or other district not at large, twenty-five 25 signatures;
7. For membership on the governing body or elected school board of any town which has 1,500 or fewer registered voters, no petition shall be required;
8. For a candidate for director of a soil and water conservation district
created pursuant to Article 3 (§ 10.1-506 et seq.) of Chapter 5 of Title 10.1,
twenty-five 25 signatures; and
9. For any other candidate, fifty 50 signatures.
§ 24.2-521. Petition required to accompany declaration; number of signatures required.
A candidate for nomination by primary for any office shall be required to file
with his declaration of candidacy a petition for his name to be printed on the
official primary ballot, on a form prescribed by the State Board, signed by the
number of qualified voters specified below after January 1 of the year in which
the election is held or before or after said date in the case of a March
primary, and listing the residence address of each such voter. Each signature
on the petition shall have been witnessed by a person who is himself a
qualified voter, or qualified to register to vote, for the office for which he
is circulating the petition and, in the case of a statewide office, is a
resident of the same or a contiguous congressional district as the voter whose
signature is witnessed, and whose affidavit to that effect appears on each page
of the petition.
Each voter signing the petition shall provide on the petition his social security number, if any; however, noncompliance with this requirement shall not be cause to invalidate the voter's signature on the petition.
The minimum number of signatures of qualified voters required for primary candidate petitions shall be as follows:
1. For a candidate for the United States Senate, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or Attorney General, 10,000 signatures, including the signatures of at least 400 qualified voters from each congressional district in the Commonwealth;
2. For a candidate for the United States House of Representatives, 1,000 signatures;
3. For a candidate for the Senate of Virginia, 250 signatures;
4. For a candidate for the House of Delegates or for a constitutional office, 125 signatures;
5. For a candidate for membership on the governing body of any county or city, 125 signatures; or if from an election district not at large containing 1,000 or fewer registered voters, 50 signatures;
6. For a candidate for membership on the governing body of any town which has more than 1,500 registered voters, 125 signatures; or if from a ward or other district not at large, 25 signatures;
7. For membership on the governing body of any town which has 1,500 or fewer registered voters, no petition shall be required; and
8. For any other candidate, 50 signatures.
§ 24.2-543. How other groups may submit names of electors; oaths of electors.
A group of qualified voters, not constituting a political party as defined in §
24.2-101, may have the names of electors selected by them, including one elector
residing in each congressional district and two from the Commonwealth at large,
printed upon the official ballot to be used in the election of electors for
President and Vice President by filing a petition pursuant to this section. The
petition shall be filed with the State Board by noon of the seventy-fourth day
before the presidential election. The petition shall be signed by at least
10,000 qualified voters and include signatures of at least 400 qualified voters
from each congressional district. The petition shall be signed by petitioners
on and after January 1 of the year of the presidential election only and
contain the residence address of each petitioner. The signature of each
petitioner shall be witnessed by a person who is a qualified voter, or
qualified to register to vote, and who is a resident of the same or a
contiguous congressional district as the voter whose signature is witnessed,
and whose affidavit to that effect appears on each page of the petition.
The petition shall state the names of the electors selected by the petitioners,
the party name under which they desire the named electors to be listed on the
ballot, and the names of the candidates for President and Vice President for
whom the electors are required to vote in the Electoral College. The persons
filing the petition shall file with it a copy of a subscribed and notarized
oath by each elector stating that he will, if elected, cast his ballot for the
candidates for President and Vice President named in the petition, or as the
party may direct in the event of death, withdrawal or disqualification of the
party nominee. In order to utilize a selected party name on the ballot, the
petitioners shall have had a state central committee composed of registered
voters from each congressional district of the Commonwealth, a party plan and
bylaws, and a duly designated chairman and secretary in existence and holding
office for at least six months prior to filing the petition. The State Board
may require proof that the petitioners meet these requirements before
permitting use of a party name on the ballot. The party name shall not be
identical with or substantially similar to the name of any political party
qualifying under § 24.2-101 and then in existence.
In the event of the death or withdrawal of a candidate for President or Vice President qualified to appear on the ballot by party name, that party may substitute the name of a different candidate before the State Board certifies to the county and city electoral boards the form of the official ballots.
In the event that a group of qualified voters meets the requirements set forth in this section except that they cannot utilize a party name, the electors selected and the candidates for President and Vice President shall be identified and designated as "Independent" on the ballot. Substitution of a different candidate for Vice President may be made by the candidate for President before the State Board certifies to the county and city electoral boards the form of the official ballot.