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2014 SESSION

14102947D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 22
Offered January 8, 2014
Prefiled December 20, 2013
Requesting the State Board of Elections to study the evolution of the duties of the general registrars. Report.
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Patrons-- Minchew and LaRock
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, the last study of the appropriate role and responsibilities of the general registrars was conducted in 1991; and

WHEREAS, in the last 20 years, the population of and the number of registered voters in the Commonwealth has increased; and

WHEREAS, in the last 20 years, the number and types of elections held each year have increased, and substantial advances have been achieved in the type and complexity of technological systems used for voter registration and election administration and management; and

WHEREAS, a primary responsibility of general registrars is voter registration, and a primary responsibility of electoral boards is election administration, but in some localities the general registrars are performing responsibilities designated to the electoral boards; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the State Board of Elections be requested to study the evolution of the duties of the general registrars.

In conducting its study, the State Board of Elections shall assemble a work group consisting of at least one member of the State Board; general registrars of localities representing a cross-section of the Commonwealth; members of the electoral boards of localities representing a cross-section of the Commonwealth; and such other persons as the State Board deems necessary. This work group shall meet at least three times.

The work group shall review the duties of the general registrars set out in the Code of Virginia and the Virginia Administrative Code and compare those statutory and regulatory duties with the duties currently undertaken by general registrars. The work group shall also identify any duties currently undertaken by the general registrars and concurrently designated to the electoral boards.

The work group shall evaluate the impacts of (i) increases in the overall population of the Commonwealth and the number of registered voters in the Commonwealth, (ii) increases in the number and types of elections, and (iii) changes in the manner in which votes in those elections may be cast on the workload of the general registrars.

The work group shall evaluate the impact of advances in technological systems utilized for voter registration and election administration processes on the educational and training requirements of general registrars.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the State Board for this study, upon request.

The work group shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2014, and shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the 2015 Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.