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2023 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections

Chair: Lionell Spruill, Sr.

Clerk: Hobie Lehman, Hannah Dockery
Staff: Brooks Braun
Date of Meeting: January 24, 2023
Time and Place: 15 mins after Senate adjourns / SR 3
Updated to add Senate Joint Resolutions

S.B. 884

Patron: Chase

Elections; registration, absentee voting, and conduct of election. Repeals provisions of law permitting registration on election day; requires an excuse to vote absentee; removes the option to vote absentee in person; requires absentee ballots to either be accompanied by a copy of an approved form of identification or be notarized; requires absentee ballots returned to drop boxes to be returned by the voter; requires absentee ballots to be received by the general registrar by the close of polls on election day in order to be counted; requires presentation of a form of identification containing a photograph in order to vote; repeals the provisions of law permitting a voter who does not have one of the required forms of identification to vote after signing a statement that he is the named registered voter he claims to be; eliminates the use of electronic poll books and voting machines while polls are open; and requires that ballots be manually tabulated in order to determine the results of an election.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-101, 24.2-115.2, 24.2-124.1, 24.2-402, 24.2-404, 24.2-406, 24.2-411.3, 24.2-420.1, 24.2-427, 24.2-452, 24.2-518, 24.2-603.1, 24.2-604.3, 24.2-609, 24.2-611, 24.2-612, 24.2-613, 24.2-625 through 24.2-630, 24.2-632 through 24.2-646, 24.2-647, 24.2-649, 24.2-649.1, 24.2-651, 24.2-652, 24.2-653, 24.2-653.01, 24.2-654, 24.2-661 through 24.2-668, 24.2-671.2, 24.2-700, 24.2-701, 24.2-702.1, 24.2-703.1, 24.2-703.2, 24.2-706, 24.2-707, 24.2-709, 24.2-709.1, 24.2-710, 24.2-712, 24.2-802, 24.2-802.1, 24.2-802.2, 24.2-814, 24.2-1004, 24.2-1009, and 24.2-1010 of the Code of Virginia; to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 24.2-709.2; and to repeal §§ 24.2-631, 24.2-646.1, 24.2-648, 24.2-657, 24.2-658, 24.2-659, 24.2-701.1, and 24.2-701.2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; registration, absentee voting, and conduct of election.

23102294D

S.B. 944

Patron: Suetterlein

Elections; filling vacancies in the General Assembly; certain vacancies to be filled within 30 days. Requires the writ of election to fill a vacancy in the membership of the General Assembly (i) to be issued within 30 days of the vacancy or receipt of notification of the vacancy, whichever comes first, and (ii) if the vacancy occurs or will occur between December 10 and March 1, to order that the special election take place no more than 30 days from the date of such vacancy.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-216 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; filling vacancies in the General Assembly; certain vacancies to be filled between 30 days and 45 days.

23102711D

S.B. 946

Patron: Suetterlein

Campaign finance; fundraising during special sessions prohibited. Prohibits campaign fundraising on any day the General Assembly is scheduled to meet during a special session. Currently, campaign fundraising is prohibited only during regular sessions of the General Assembly.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-954 of the Code of Virginia, relating to campaign finance; fundraising during special sessions prohibited.

23102721D

S.B. 947

Patron: Suetterlein

Elections; candidates for office; political party nomination by non-primary method; filing fee. Allows political parties to charge a filing fee for methods of nomination other than a primary and sets a cap on such fee. The maximum filing fee is set at four percent of the salary of any salaried office sought by a candidate or, for any office for which compensation is paid by fees, four percent of the average fees collected by the office.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-509, as it is currently effective and as it shall become effective, of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; candidates for office; political party nomination by non-primary method; filing fee.

23102708D

S.B. 1180

Patron: Ebbin

Elections administration; acceptance of certain services permitted. Provides that (i) the acceptance of technical assistance, research, or subject matter expertise regarding election law, policies, and administration by any state or local elections officials and (ii) the acceptance or use of money or grants given by a private individual or nongovernmental entity when such money or grant is received and disbursed by the treasurer for the locality or provided through the regular process for appropriating public funds are not prohibited under the general prohibition on the solicitation or acceptance by such officials of money, grants, property, or services given by a private individual or nongovernmental entity for the purpose of funding voting-related programs.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-124.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections administration; acceptance of certain services permitted; acceptance of money and grants permitted under certain circumstances.

23104147D

S.B. 1251

Patron: Marsden

Elections; conduct of election; election results to be delivered by officers representing both major parties on election night. Requires ballots, election materials, and equipment keys to be returned to the clerk of the circuit court or the general registrar on the night of the election by one officer of election representing each political party. Under current law, a single officer of election may return ballots, election materials, and equipment keys to the clerk of the circuit court or general registrar and such items may be returned on the day following the election unless the local electoral board requires they be returned on the night of the election.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-659 and 24.2-668 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; conduct of election; election results to be delivered by officers representing both major parties on election night.

23103420D

S.B. 1380

Patron: Deeds

Elections; presidential primaries; ranked choice voting. Allows political parties to hold presidential primaries using ballots that allow a voter to rank such party's candidates in his order of choice.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-545 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 5 of Title 24.2 an article numbered 8, consisting of sections numbered 24.2-546 through 24.2-550, relating to elections; presidential primaries; ranked choice voting.

23100386D

S.B. 1427

Patron: Suetterlein

Campaign finance; political action committees; certain large pre-election expenditures. Requires in-state political action committees to file a report for any single expenditure of $1,000 or more made between October 1 and the date of the November general election. Such reports are to be made electronically and must be received by the State Board of Elections by 11:59 p.m. on the following day or, for an expenditure made on a Saturday, by 11:59 p.m. on the following Monday. However, the bill requires that any such expenditure made within the 24 hours prior to the election day be reported and a report thereof received on the day prior to the election.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 24.2-949.7:1, relating to campaign finance; political action committees; certain large pre-election expenditures.

23102732D

S.B. 1442

Patron: Spruill

Conduct of election; abstract of votes; law-enforcement officer to obtain returns not forwarded; extension to 10 days. Extends the period of time a locality has to forward its abstract of votes to the State Board of Elections before a law-enforcement officer is sent to obtain the abstract to 10 days for any election. Under current law, such time period is six days for a state primary election and seven days for any other election. .

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-532 and 24.2-678 of the Code of Virginia, relating to conduct of election; abstract of votes; law-enforcement officer to obtains returns not forwarded; extension to 10 days.

23103578D

S.B. 1471

Patrons: Boysko, Barker

Campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaign funds; complaints, hearings, civil penalty, and advisory opinions. Prohibits any person from converting contributions to a candidate or his campaign committee for personal use. Current law only prohibits such conversion of contributions with regard to disbursement of surplus funds at the dissolution of a campaign or political committee. The bill provides that a contribution is considered to have been converted to personal use if the contribution, in whole or in part, is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense that would exist irrespective of the person's seeking, holding, or maintaining public office but allows a contribution to be used for the ordinary and accepted expenses related to campaigning for or holding elective office, including the use of campaign funds to pay for the candidate's child care expenses that are incurred as a direct result of campaign activity. The bill provides that any person subject to the personal use ban may request an advisory opinion from the State Board of Elections on such matters. The bill directs the State Board of Elections to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill and to provide an updated summary of Virginia campaign finance law that reflects the State Board of Elections' and Attorney General's guidance on the provisions of such law that prohibit the personal use of campaign funds and any new regulations promulgated by the State Board of Elections.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 2.2-3711, 24.2-946, and 24.2-948.4 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 3 of Chapter 9.3 of Title 24.2 sections numbered 24.2-948.6, 24.2-948.7, and 24.2-948.8, relating to campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaign funds; complaints, hearings, civil penalty, and advisory opinions.

23104251D

S.J.R. 270

Patron: Spruill

Confirming Governor's appointments; December 1. Confirms appointments of certain persons made by Governor Glenn Youngkin and communicated to the General Assembly December 1, 2022.

Confirming appointments by the Governor of certain persons communicated to the General Assembly December 1, 2022.

23103446D

S.J.R. 271

Patron: Spruill

Confirming Governor's appointments; January 1. Confirms appointments of certain persons made by Governor Glenn Youngkin and communicated to the General Assembly January 1, 2023.

Confirming appointments by the Governor of certain persons communicated to the General Assembly January 1, 2023.

23104555D

S.J.R. 272

Patron: Spruill

Confirming Governor's appointments; October 1. Confirms appointments of certain persons made by Governor Glenn Youngkin and communicated to the General Assembly October 1, 2022.

Confirming appointments by the Governor of certain persons communicated to the General Assembly October 1, 2022.

23100654D

S.J.R. 273

Patron: Spruill

Confirming Governor's appointments; June 1. Confirms appointments of certain persons made by Governor Glenn Youngkin and communicated to the General Assembly June 1, 2022.

Confirming appointments by the Governor of certain persons communicated to the General Assembly June 1, 2022.

23100008D

S.J.R. 276

Patron: Spruill

Confirming Governor's appointments; August 1. Confirms appointments of certain persons made by Governor Glenn Youngkin and communicated to the General Assembly August 1, 2022.

Confirming appointments by the Governor of certain persons communicated to the General Assembly August 1, 2022.

23100653D