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2024 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections

Chair: Aaron R. Rouse

Clerk: Hobie Lehman, Madison Odallo
Staff: Brooks Braun
Date of Meeting: January 23, 2024
Time and Place: 15 mins after Senate adjourns / Senate Room B, GAB
Updated to add SJR 64

S.B. 4

Patron: McPike

Constitutional amendment (voter referendum); real property tax exemption; surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty. Provides for a referendum at the November 5, 2024, election to approve or reject an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia that would expand the real property tax exemption that is currently available to the surviving spouses of soldiers killed in action to be available to the surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty with a Line of Duty determination from the U.S. Department of Defense.

A BILL to provide for the submission to the voters of a proposed amendment to Section 6-A of Article X of the Constitution of Virginia, relating to real property tax exemption; surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty.

24100994D

S.B. 131

Patron: Ruff

Primary elections; candidates for nomination; withdrawal of candidacy resulting in unopposed primary; primary cancellation and nomination procedure. Provides that if a person who is a candidate for nomination by a political party at a primary election and who appears on the ballot for such election withdraws his candidacy on or after the forty-fourth day before but prior to the Tuesday immediately preceding the primary election, and the result of such withdrawal is one remaining candidate who is now unopposed, the remaining candidate will be declared the party's nominee for the office sought and the primary election will be canceled. The bill requires the notice of withdrawal to be signed and notarized and to be submitted to the general registrar, who then transmits it to the local electoral board and the State Board of Elections, along with a certification that the remaining candidate is now unopposed for nomination. The State Board is required to declare the remaining candidate to be the nominee within one calendar day of receiving such notice, and the local electoral board is then required to petition the circuit court for the cancellation of the primary election. Finally, the bill directs the State Board to prescribe procedures for canceling a primary election, including instructions for locking and securing voting systems, disposition of marked and unmarked absentee ballots, and voter notification. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-612.2 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 4 of Chapter 5 of Title 24.2 a section numbered 24.2-538.1, relating to primary elections; candidates for nomination; withdrawal of candidacy resulting in unopposed primary; primary cancellation and nomination procedure.

24102245D

S.B. 147

Patron: Head

Election administration; deputy general registrars; recommended number. Requires the State Board of Elections to adopt guidance for determining the recommended number of deputy registrars to serve in a county or city based on the size of the county's or city's population as of the most recent decennial census and prohibits a local electoral board from setting a number in excess of such recommendation. The bill allows for additional deputy registrars to be appointed if the local electoral board determines that a greater number than the State Board's recommended number for a county's or city's population is needed and the local governing body approves such number. The bill also requires the Department of Elections to convene a work group no later than July 1, 2024, to advise and collaborate with the State Board on the development of such guidance and directs the work group to complete its work and make public such guidance no later than December 1, 2024. The provisions of the bill other than the requirement for the Department to convene the work group have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-112 of the Code of Virginia, relating to election administration; deputy general registrars; recommended number.

24100147D

S.B. 301

Patron: DeSteph

Campaign finance, required reports; extension of deadlines and appeal of fines. Allows the State Board of Elections or local electoral board to extend a deadline for filing campaign finance reports for any candidate or treasurer who, prior to the deadline, provides notice of extenuating circumstances that will prevent timely filing. Extenuating circumstances may include hospitalization, the death of a family member, being called to active duty, or other reasonable cricumstances. The bill also provides for an appeal process for any person or committee assessed a civil penalty under the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act of 2006. Upon petition, the State Board of Elections or the electoral board, as appropriate, may provide relief to the petitioner for good cause shown. Such relief may include forgiveness of all or a portion of an assessed civil penalty, the retroactive extension of a deadline, or other appropriate remedy.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-946.4 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 8 of Chapter 9.3 of Title 24.2 a section numbered 24.2-953.6, relating to campaign finance, required reports; extension of deadlines and appeal of fines.

24102078D

S.B. 303

Patron: Stuart

Elections; voting equipment and systems; State Board approval process; printed receipt for cast ballot. Requires voting systems approved by the State Board of Elections to produce a printed receipt for each voter who has cast a ballot that shows the date and time the voter's ballot was cast, the voter's number corresponding to the order in which ballots were cast, and a list of all the voter's selections on the ballot as recorded by the voting system.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-629 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; voting equipment and systems; State Board of Elections approval process; printed receipt for cast ballot.

24100195D

S.B. 315

Patron: Salim

Voter registration; registration of Department of Motor Vehicles customers; automatic update. Provides that the information gathered by the Department of Motor Vehicles for a person who indicates that he is already registered to vote is to be automatically transmitted to the Department of Elections for the purpose of updating an existing voter registration record. Under current law, a person must be presented with the option to decline to have his information transmitted to the Department of Elections before such information may be transmitted.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-411.3 of the Code of Virginia, relating to voter registration; registration of Department of Motor Vehicles customers; automatic update.

24103694D

S.B. 377

Patron: Boysko


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 to 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 similar to those promulgated by the Federal Election Commission to implement the provisions of the bill and to publish 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, as it is currently effective and as it may become effective, 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.

24104850D

S.B. 406

Patron: Durant

Elections; political campaign advertisements; advertisements sponsored by a person or political committee that is not a party committee. Prohibits any person from printing or circulating unofficial sample ballots unless they (i) are not printed on white paper, (ii) include the words "sample ballot," (iii) include the statement: "Paid for by [Name of the sponsor as defined by § 24.2-956.1]," and (iv) include the statement "Authorized by [Name of political party]" or "Not authorized by a political party."

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

24104397D

S.B. 428

Patron: VanValkenburg


Elections; conduct of election; ranked choice voting; locally elected offices; report. Allows elections for any local or constitutional office to be conducted by ranked choice voting. Under current law, only elections of members of a county board of supervisors or a city council are allowed to be conducted by ranked choice voting. The bill also clarifies requirements for conducting elections using ranked choice voting and requires results for elections conducted by ranked choice voting to be reported along with other results reported on election night, except that such results must clearly be identified as preliminary and based on the first rankings in a ranked choice voting election. The bill provides that final tabulation for an election for a local or constitutional office that is not shared by more than one county or city is required to be conducted on the same day as other results are canvassed by the local electoral board and that final tabulation for and election for a local or constitutional office that is shared by more than one county or city is required to be conducted at a centralized facility under the supervision of the Department of Elections. The bill specifies that ranking data is required to be made publicly available by the Department and requires the State Board of Elections to provide standards and to approve vote tabulating software for use with existing voting systems in elections conducted by ranked choice voting. The bill also limits a risk-limiting audit of an election conducted using ranked choice voting to the first choice rankings reported on voting systems. Finally, the bill directs the Department to review the testing and approval framework for voting equipment in the Commonwealth and submit a report of such review no later than the first day of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-673.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; conduct of election; ranked choice voting; locally elected offices; report.

24104417D

S.B. 527

Patron: Sturtevant

General Assembly; intergovernmental affairs; delegates to a convention for proposing amendments held under Article V of the Constitution of the United States. Provides for the selection by the General Assembly of delegates to attend a convention for proposing amendments held under Article V of the Constitution of the United States. The bill grants the General Assembly the power to recall delegates, appoint new delegates, and convene an advisory committee to oversee the conduct of delegates. The bill provides that delegates must take an oath to adhere to the instructions of the General Assembly.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Title 30 a chapter numbered 19.1, consisting of sections numbered 30-173.1 through 30-173.10, relating to General Assembly; intergovernmental affairs; delegates to a convention for proposing amendments held under Article V of the Constitution of the United States.

24104951D

S.B. 577

Patron: Obenshain

Elections; campaign finance; exemption for candidates for local office or directors of soil and water conservation districts. Provides that a candidate for local office or for director of a soil and water conservation district may also seek an exemption from the requirement that he designate a separate campaign depository by certifying that (i) he has not and will not contribute any money to his own campaign and (ii) he has not and will not expend any money in the course of the campaign. The bill also provides that a candidate for local office or for director of a soil and water conservation district applying for a general exemption is exempt from having to make special reports for certain large pre-election contributions.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-948.1 and 24.2-948.2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; campaign finance; exemption for candidates for local office or directors of soil and water conservation districts.

24102482D

S.B. 605

Patron: Subramanyam

Assistance for certain voters outside of the polling place; definition of "disability"; training. Expands the definition of "disability" for purposes of providing assistance outside of a polling place for voters with disabilities to include any permanent or temporary disability. Under current law, such definition of "disability" is limited to a permanent or temporary physical disability. The bill requires the training required for all officers of election to include specific training on voting outside of a polling place and directs the Department of Elections to incorporate into guidance documents for election officials the processes and procedures for voting outside of the polling place, including best practices for providing assistance for voters with disabilities.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-649.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to assistance for certain voters outside of the polling place; definition of "disability"; training.

24104168D

S.B. 606

Patron: VanValkenburg

Voter registration; list maintenance; data sharing; requiring membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Requires the Commissioner of Elections to apply for, enter into, and maintain membership for the Commonwealth in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC).

A BILL to require the Commonwealth's participation in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC).

24102718D

S.J.R. 3

Patron: McPike

Constitutional amendment (second reference); real property tax exemption; surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty. Expands the current tax exemption for real property available to the surviving spouses of soldiers killed in action to the surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty with a Line of Duty determination from the U.S. Department of Defense.

Proposing an amendment to Section 6-A of Article X of the Constitution of Virginia, relating to real property tax exemption; surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty.

24100970D

S.J.R. 31

Patron: Rouse

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

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

24104363D

S.J.R. 32

Patron: Rouse

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

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

24100148D

S.J.R. 33

Patron: Rouse

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

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

24100482D

S.J.R. 34

Patron: Rouse

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

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

24100057D

S.J.R. 36

Patron: Rouse

Confirming Governor's appointments; January 12. Confirms appointments of certain persons made by Governor Glenn Youngkin and communicated to the General Assembly January 12, 2024.

Confirming appointments by the Governor of certain persons communicated to the General Assembly January 12, 2024.

24105364D

S.J.R. 64

Patron: Rouse

Confirming appointments by the Governor of agency heads communicated to the General Assembly January 15 and 16, 2024, and reconfirming the appointment of the Director of Department of Wildlife Resources.

Confirming appointments by the Governor of agency heads communicated to the General Assembly January 15 and 16, 2024, and reconfirming the appointment of the Director of Department of Wildlife Resources.

24105982D