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2013 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections

Chairman: Mark D. Obenshain

Clerk: Maribeth Turner, Jocelyn Lance
Staff: M. Spain, D. Cotter, J. Austin
Date of Meeting: January 15, 2013
Time and Place: Tuesday, 4:00 PM, Senate Room A, General Assembly Building
UPDATED to include: SJ 322, SJ 323, SJ 324, SB 1062

S.B. 702 Absentee voting; persons eligible to vote by absentee ballot.

Patron: Howell

Elections; absentee voting. Provides that qualified voters may vote absentee in person without providing an excuse or reason for not being able to vote in person on election day. The bill retains the present statutory list of specific reasons entitling a voter to cast an absentee ballot for those persons who vote absentee by mail.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-700 and 24.2-701 of the Code of Virginia, relating to absentee voting; persons eligible to vote absentee.

13100803D

S.B. 722 Emergency absentee ballots; ballots provided to hospitalized voters.

Patron: Carrico

Emergency absentee ballots; hospitalized voters; electoral board representative. Permits an electoral board to designate a hospital administrator to serve as its representative and to provide applications for emergency absentee ballots to hospitalized voters.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-705 of the Code of Virginia, relating to applications for emergency absentee ballots for persons incapacitated or hospitalized.

13100952D

S.B. 724 Absentee voting; persons age 65 and older on day of an election are entitled to vote absentee.

Patron: Miller

Elections; absentee voting. Provides that persons age 65 and older on the day of an election for which an absentee ballot is requested are entitled to vote absentee.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-700 and 24.2-701 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; absentee voting; persons 65 and older.

13101448D

S.B. 742 Virginia Redistricting Commission; established.

Patron: Miller

Virginia Redistricting Commission created. Establishes a five-member commission to prepare redistricting plans for the House of Delegates, state Senate, and congressional districts. Appointments to the Commission shall be made one each by the four majority and minority party leaders of the House and Senate. Those four appointees shall appoint the fifth member and chair of the Commission. If they cannot agree on the fifth member by a majority of at least three members, they shall submit the names of the two persons receiving the most votes to the Supreme Court of Virginia for the Court to select the chairman. The Commission will prepare plans and submit them as bills to the General Assembly. The General Assembly shall then proceed to act on the bills in the usual manner. The bill provides for Commission comments on plans as they change in the legislative process. The bill also spells out the standards and process to be followed by the Commission in preparing plans, including limitations on the use of political data and opportunities for public comment on the plans.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 3 of Title 24.2 an article numbered 1.1, consisting of sections numbered 24.2-301.2, 24.2-301.3, and 24.2-301.4, relating to criteria for redistricting; establishment of the Virginia Redistricting Commission.

13101449D

S.B. 743 Absentee voting; application by electronic mail or other electronic means.

Patron: Miller

Absentee voting; application by electronic mail or other electronic means. Provides that the State Board of Elections shall implement a system to accept absentee ballot applications electronically. Currently, an applicant may request and receive an absentee ballot application electronically but may not submit the completed application electronically. The bill further provides that any applicant for an absentee ballot may request that the ballot materials be sent to him by electronic transmission.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-701 and 24.2-706 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; absentee ballot applications and ballots.

13101458D

S.B. 818 Prisoners; establish compact for control of those receiving medical care outside of Virginia.

Patron: Puckett

Compact; control of prisoners outside of Virginia. Establishes a compact with other states for control of prisoners receiving medical and other care outside of Virginia.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 8 of Chapter 3 of Title 53.1 a section numbered 53.1-133.10, relating to compact for the control of prisoners receiving medical, dental, and psychiatric care outside of Virginia.

13100859D

S.B. 873 Absentee voting; persons age 65 and older on day of an election are entitled to vote absentee.

Patron: McWaters

Elections; absentee voting. Provides that persons age 65 and older on the day of an election for which an absentee ballot is requested are entitled to vote absentee.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-700 and 24.2-701 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; absentee voting; persons 65 and older.

13100879D

S.B. 874 Absentee voting and procedures; secure return of voted military-overseas ballots.

Patron: McWaters

Elections; absentee voting and procedures; secure return of voted military-overseas ballots. Directs the State Board of Elections to provide instructions and procedures so that uniformed-service voters can return voted military-overseas ballots securely by electronic format. The bill also provides for expedited procedures when a ballot is requested but not sent by the deadline for making ballots available.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-706 of the Code of Virginia, relating to absentee voting and procedures; secure return of voted military-overseas ballots.

13100876D

S.B. 967 Absentee ballot; eliminates requirement applicant provide reason cannot vote at polling place.

Patron: Ebbin

Application for absentee ballot. Eliminates the requirement that a person applying for an absentee ballot provide additional information regarding the reason the applicant will be absent or cannot vote at his polling place on the day of the election.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-701 of the Code of Virginia, relating to application for absentee ballot.

13101139D

S.B. 1042 City of Bedford reversion; special election for certain council members.

Patron: Newman

City of Bedford reversion; special election for certain council members. Requires a special election for members of council for any town that, on July 1, 2013, is both created by a transition from city to town status and enlarged by annexing territory into the town. In an election held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2014, a council member is to be elected to fill the unexpired portion of the term of each council member whose term extends beyond December 31, 2014. The bill provides that no such election is to be held unless the annexation increases the population of the town by more than five percent.

A BILL to provide for a special election following the effective date of annexation for any town that was established by a transition from a city to town status.

13102613D

S.B. 1062 Elections; reforms to improve voter access to polls.

Patron: Herring

Elections; voter access reforms. Provides for numerous reforms to improve voter access to the polls, including (i) extending the hour that polls close on election day from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; (ii) allowing for early voting by qualified voters for a period from 10 to three days before the election, or eight to three days before a special election, at the office of the general registrar or secretary of the electoral board and other approved locations; (iii) shortening the deadline to register to vote from 21 days before a general or primary election and either six or 13 days before special elections to three days before any election, which would be the last day of the early voting period; and (iv) authorizing the Secretary of the State Board of Elections to establish a pilot program to allow members of the military on active duty and their spouses, citizens residing outside of the United States, and military voters with disabilities or injuries to vote absentee by secure electronic means or other new technologies. The bill also provides that the State Board shall implement a system to accept absentee ballot applications electronically. Currently, an applicant may request and receive, but not submit, an absentee ballot application electronically. The bill also requires the State Board, in conjunction with the Department of Emergency Management, to create a written plan addressing the continuity of operations of elections in the event of an emergency. The bill also requires that the State Board perform periodic reviews of the conduct of elections and, based on the findings of such reviews, develop a written plan for minimizing the amount of time a voter has to wait to cast his vote on election day.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-103, 24.2-416, 24.2-416.4, 24.2-603, and 24.2-701 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 24.2-700.1 and by adding in Chapter 7 of Title 24.2 a section numbered 24.2-714, relating to elections; voter access reforms.

13103449D

S.B. 1100 General registrar; removes requirement that office be open on second Saturday before May election.

Patron: Smith

Elections; in-person absentee voting. Removes the requirement that the general registrar's office be open for eight hours on the second Saturday before a May election and retains the requirement that the office be open on the Saturday before the May election. This imposes the same requirement on city general registrars as is currently imposed on town general registrars. Since this is a minimum requirement, the general registrar retains authority to provide additional office hours for in-person absentee voting on the second Saturday before the May election, but is not required to do so.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-701 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; absentee voting.

13100464D

S.J.R. 322 Confirming Governor's appointments of certain persons.

Patron: Obenshain

Confirming Governor's appointments of certain persons. Confirms appointments to various positions made by Governor McDonnell and communicated to the General Assembly June 1, 2012.

Confirming appointments by the Governor of certain persons communicated June 1, 2012.

13100041D

S.J.R. 323 Confirming Governor's appointments of certain persons.

Patron: Obenshain

Confirming Governor's appointments of certain persons. Confirms appointments to various positions made by Governor McDonnell and communicated to the General Assembly October 1, 2012.

Confirming appointments by the Governor of certain persons communicated October 1, 2012.

13100582D

S.J.R. 324 Confirming Governor's appointments of certain persons.

Patron: Obenshain

Confirming Governor's appointments of certain persons. Confirms appointments to various positions made by Governor McDonnell and communicated to the General Assembly August 1, 2012.

Confirming appointments by the Governor of certain persons communicated August 1, 2012.

13100200D