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2008 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections

Chairman: Janet D. Howell

Clerk: Charles Shotton
Staff: Mary Spain, Jack Austin
Date of Meeting: January 15, 2008
Time and Place: 4:00 p.m., Senate Room A, General Assembly Building

S.B. 7 Absentee voting; persons with a disability or illness may vote absentee.

Patron: Deeds

Elections; absentee voting. Extends to persons with any disability or illness, rather than only a "physical" disability or illness, the ability to obtain an absentee ballot and provides a definition for "person with a disability."

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-101, 24.2-700, 24.2-701, 24.2-703.1, 24.2-703.2, 24.2-704, 24.2-705, and 24.2-705.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to voters eligible to vote absentee.

087709220

S.B. 53 Paper and electronic pollbooks; permits localities to use their own funds to purchase.

Patron: Whipple

Elections; paper and electronic pollbooks.  Permits localities to use their own funds to purchase electronic pollbooks that have been approved by the State Board of Elections. Current law authorizes the use of electronic pollbooks only in pilot programs and when paid for by state appropriations.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-611 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; paper and electronic pollbooks.

087063352

S.B. 62 Voter registration; procedures for applications and receipts.

Patron: Howell

Voter registration procedures; applications and receipts. Provides that the state form for the application to register to vote shall contain a receipt that will be given to the applicant by any person accepting the application. The receipt states the name of the office or person accepting the application, the date accepted, and a phone number that the applicant may call to verify that he is registered. The requirements pertaining to the receipt are inapplicable when the applicant mails his application directly to a general registrar or the State Board of Elections.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-416.2 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 24.2-418.1, relating to voter registration procedures; applications and receipts.

084507248

S.B. 70 Sample ballots; Board of Elections shall assign different color to each political party.

Patron: Howell

Elections; sample ballots.  Provides that the State Board of Elections shall assign a different color to each political party that it must use for sample ballots distributed by it during a calendar year.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-622 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; sample ballots.

087790248

S.B. 82 Ballots; identification of political party of candidate on form.

Patron: Cuccinelli

Elections; form of ballot.  Provides that any candidate for a constitutional office who is nominated by a political party shall be identified on the ballot by the name of his party. Current law provides for party identification on the ballot of candidates only for federal, statewide, and General Assembly offices. The law defines a constitutional office as the county or city office of the clerk of the circuit court, attorney for the Commonwealth, sheriff, commissioner of the revenue, or treasurer.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-613 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; form of ballot; party identification of candidates.

086303216

S.B. 277 Electoral College; votes therein shall be allocated by popular vote for President & Vice President.

Patron: Miller, J.C.

Electoral College. Provides that the Commonwealth's votes in the Electoral College shall be allocated by the popular vote statewide and in each congressional district. The candidates for President and Vice President who win the popular statewide vote will receive the votes of the two at-large statewide electors and the candidate who wins the popular vote in each congressional district will receive the vote of that district's elector. Maine and Nebraska allocate electoral college votes in this manner.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-202, 24.2-203, 24.2-542, 24.2-542.1, 24.2-543, and 24.2-673 of the Code of Virginia, relating to electors for President and Vice President and results of elections.

080719275

S.B. 452 Reporting designated campaign contributions.

Patron: Petersen

Reporting designated campaign contributions.  Requires political committees, out-of-state political committees, and federal political action committees to report contributions they receive that are designated for the election of a particular candidate. Political party committees and organized political party groups of elected officials are the only entities currently required to report such information. Such committees will be required to provide a candidate's campaign committee with information regarding the contributor of the designated contribution so that the candidate can identify that contribution on his or her campaign finance report. In turn, candidate campaign committees will be required to report designated contributions transmitted from such committees as being made by the person who designated the contribution. The provisions of the bill will become effective January 1, 2009.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-947.4, 24.2-949.5, 24.2-949.9:2, 24.2-950.1, and 24.2-950.4 of the Code of Virginia and to repeal § 24.2-950.5 of the Code of Virginia, relating to campaign finance information and reporting of designated contributions.

080803808

S.B. 508 Absentee ballot applications and procedures.

Patrons: Northam, Whipple

Absentee ballot applications and procedures. Provides that voters covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act who reside or are stationed outside the continental borders of the United States may receive their blank absentee ballots by electronic transmission. Present law allows these voters to request absentee ballots by electronic transmission. This bill covers the second step of sending the ballot to these overseas voters. The voted ballots will have to be returned by mail.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-706 of the Code of Virginia, relating to absentee ballot applications and procedures.

080805808

S.B. 509 Elections; locking of equipment after election; and timing of special elections.

Patrons: Northam, Edwards

Elections; locking of equipment after election; and timing of special elections.  Provides that the period of time that voting equipment must be locked and secured after an election will be until the deadline has passed to request a recount (generally 10 days after the election results are certified); and reduces from 60 days to 55 days the period of time during which a special election cannot be called before a general or primary election. These changes give more flexibility for the scheduling of special elections.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-659 and 24.2-682 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; locking of equipment after election; and timing of special elections.

087657808

S.J.R. 5 Constitutional amendment; establishing Redistricting Commission (first reference).

Patron: Deeds

Constitutional amendment (first resolution); Virginia Redistricting Commission.  Establishes the Virginia Redistricting Commission to redraw Congressional and General Assembly district boundaries after each decennial census. Appointments to the 13-member Commission are to be made in the census year as follows: two each by the President pro tempore of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Delegates, minority leader in each house, and the state chairman of each of the two political parties receiving the most votes in the prior gubernatorial election. The 12 partisan members then select the 13th member by a majority vote, or, if they cannot agree on a selection, they certify the two names receiving the most votes to the Supreme Court, which will name the 13th member. The Commission is directed to certify district plans for the General Assembly within one month of receipt of the new census data or by March 1 of the year following the census, whichever is later, and for the House of Representatives within three months of receipt of the census data or by June 1 of the year following the census, whichever is later. The standards to govern redistricting plans include the current Constitution's standards on population equality, compactness, and contiguity and additional standards to minimize splits of localities and to prohibit consideration of incumbency and political data.

Proposing an amendment to Section 6 of Article II of the Constitution of Virginia, relating to districts for the House of Representatives and General Assembly; criteria for redistricting; and the establishment of the Virginia Redistricting Commission.

087714220

S.J.R. 7 Constitutional amendment; restoration of civil rights for certain felons (first reference).

Patron: Miller, Y.B.

Constitutional amendment (first resolution); restoration of civil rights.  Authorizes the General Assembly to provide by general law for the restoration of civil rights for persons convicted of nonviolent felonies who have completed service of their sentence including any period or condition of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. The present Constitution provides for restoration of rights by the Governor. The amendment retains the right of the Governor to restore civil rights and adds the alternative for restoration of rights pursuant to general law.

Proposing an amendment to Section 1 of Article II of the Constitution of Virginia, relating to the qualifications of voters.

087949276

S.J.R. 8 Constitutional amendment; property tax exemption for certain veterans (first reference).

Patron: Puller

Constitutional amendment (first resolution); property tax exemption for certain veterans.  Authorizes the General Assembly to exempt from taxation real property that is the principal residence of a veteran (or widow or widower of a veteran) if the veteran has been determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or its successor agency pursuant to federal law to have a service-connected, permanent, and 100 percent total disability.

Proposing an amendment to Article X of the Constitution of Virginia by adding a section numbered 6-A, relating to a property tax exemption for certain veterans.

082804304

S.J.R. 10 Constitutional amendment; property tax exemption for certain veterans (first reference).

Patron: Reynolds

Constitutional amendment (first resolution); property tax exemption for certain veterans.  Authorizes the General Assembly to exempt from taxation real property that is the principal residence of a veteran (or widow or widower of a veteran) if the veteran has been determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or its successor agency pursuant to federal law to have a service-connected, permanent, and 100 percent total disability.

Proposing an amendment to Article X of the Constitution of Virginia by adding a section numbered 6-A, relating to a property tax exemption for certain veterans.

087859316