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2020 SESSION

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SB 740 County and city precincts; required to be wholly contained within election districts.

Introduced by: Mark D. Obenshain | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles | history

SUMMARY AS ENACTED WITH GOVERNOR'S RECOMMENDATION:

County and city precincts; required to be wholly contained within election districts; waiver for administration of split precinct. Requires each county and city precinct to be wholly contained within a single congressional district, Senate district, House of Delegates district, and local election district. In each year ending in one, the governing body of each county and city is required to establish the precinct boundaries to be consistent with any congressional district, Senate district, House of Delegates district, and local election district that was adopted by the appropriate authority by June 15 of that year, and if new districts have not been adopted by the appropriate authority by that date, the governing body is permitted to use the districts as they existed on June 15 of that year as the basis for establishing the precincts to be used in the November elections held that year. The bill requires a governing body to apply to the State Board of Elections for a waiver to administer a split precinct if it is unable to establish a precinct with the minimum number of registered voters without splitting the precinct between two or more congressional districts, Senate districts, House of Delegates districts, or local election districts, and the State Board is authorized to grant the waiver or to direct the establishment of a precinct with less than the minimum number of registered voters as permitted by current law. A governing body that is granted a waiver to administer a split precinct or is directed to establish a precinct with fewer than the minimum number of voters is permitted to use that precinct for any election held that year. This bill incorporates SB 119 and SB 121.

SUMMARY AS PASSED:

County and city precincts; required to be wholly contained within election districts; waiver for administration of split precinct. Requires each county and city precinct to be wholly contained within a single congressional district, Senate district, House of Delegates district, and local election district. By July 1 of each year ending in one, the governing body of each county and city is required to establish the precinct boundaries to be consistent with any congressional district, Senate district, House of Delegates district, and local election district that was adopted by the appropriate authority by June 15 of that year. If a governing body is unable to establish a precinct with the minimum number of registered voters without splitting the precinct between two or more congressional districts, Senate districts, House of Delegates districts, or local election districts, it is required to apply to the State Board of Elections for a waiver to administer a split precinct. The State Board is authorized to grant the waiver or to direct the establishment of a precinct with less than the minimum number of registered voters as permitted by current law. A governing body that is granted a waiver to administer a split precinct or is directed to establish a precinct with fewer than the minimum number of voters is permitted to use that precinct for any election held that year. This bill incorporates SB 119 and SB 121.

SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE:

County and city precincts; required to be wholly contained within election districts; waiver for administration of split precinct. Requires each county and city precinct to be wholly contained within a single congressional district, Senate district, House of Delegates district, and local election district. The governing body of each county and city is required to establish its precincts immediately following the completion of the decennial redistricting by the General Assembly so that each precinct is wholly contained as required. If a governing body is unable to establish a precinct with the minimum number of registered voters without splitting the precinct between two or more congressional districts, Senate districts, House of Delegates districts, or local election districts, it is required to apply to the State Board of Elections for a waiver to administer a split precinct. The State Board is authorized to grant the waiver or to direct the establishment of a precinct with less than the minimum number of registered voters as permitted by current law. This bill incorporates SB 119 and SB 121.

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Election districts; remedying split precincts; technical adjustments permitted. Authorizes the General Assembly to make technical adjustments to legislative district boundaries subsequent to the decennial redistricting solely for the purpose of causing legislative district boundaries to coincide with local voting precinct boundaries. Any adjustment shall change districts only to the extent necessary to accomplish this purpose and shall be consistent with the criteria for districts established for the preceding decennial redistricting.