Elections; clarifications and revisions to registration and election processes. (HB1878)
Introduced By
Sen. John Cosgrove (R-Chesapeake)
Progress
✓ |
Introduced |
✓ |
Passed Committee |
✓ |
Passed House |
✓ |
Passed Senate |
✓ |
Signed by Governor |
☐ |
Became Law |
Description
Elections; clarifications and revisions to registration and election processes; penalties. Incorporates changes to definitions, duties of election officials, registration procedures, voting procedures, and election offenses; penalties. Read the Bill »
Outcome
Bill Has Passed
History
Date | Action |
---|---|
01/12/2009 | Committee |
01/12/2009 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/14/09 095586806 |
01/12/2009 | Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections |
01/15/2009 | Impact statement from VCSC (HB1878) |
01/15/2009 | Assigned P & E sub: Elections |
01/27/2009 | Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) |
01/28/2009 | Impact statement from DPB (HB1878) |
01/30/2009 | Reported from Privileges and Elections with substitute (21-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
01/30/2009 | Committee substitute printed 095609472-H1 |
02/02/2009 | Impact statement from VCSC (HB1878H1) |
02/02/2009 | Read first time |
02/02/2009 | Impact statement from DPB (HB1878H1) |
02/03/2009 | Passed by for the day |
02/04/2009 | Read second time |
02/04/2009 | Committee substitute agreed to 095609472-H1 |
02/04/2009 | Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB1878H1 |
02/05/2009 | Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N) |
02/05/2009 | VOTE: BLOCK VOTE PASSAGE (99-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
02/06/2009 | Constitutional reading dispensed |
02/06/2009 | Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections |
02/17/2009 | Reported from Privileges and Elections with substitute (12-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
02/17/2009 | Committee substitute printed 095634472-S1 |
02/19/2009 | Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
02/20/2009 | Read third time |
02/20/2009 | Reading of substitute waived |
02/20/2009 | Committee substitute agreed to 095634472-S1 |
02/20/2009 | Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HB1878S1 |
02/20/2009 | Passed Senate with substitute (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
02/20/2009 | Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate (37-Y 3-N) (see vote tally) |
02/20/2009 | Passed by for the day |
02/23/2009 | Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HB1878S1 |
02/23/2009 | Read third time |
02/23/2009 | Passed Senate with substitute (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
02/24/2009 | Placed on Calendar |
02/24/2009 | Impact statement from VCSC (HB1878S1) |
02/24/2009 | Impact statement from DPB (HB1878S1) |
02/25/2009 | Senate substitute rejected by House (2-Y 95-N) |
02/25/2009 | VOTE: --- REJECTED (2-Y 95-N) (see vote tally) |
02/26/2009 | Senate insisted on substitute (38-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
02/26/2009 | Senate requested conference committee |
02/26/2009 | House acceded to request |
02/26/2009 | Conferees appointed by House |
02/26/2009 | Delegates: Cosgrove, Jones, Alexander |
02/26/2009 | Conferees appointed by Senate |
02/26/2009 | Senators: Blevins, Petersen, Edwards |
02/27/2009 | Conference substitute printed 095651472-H2 |
02/27/2009 | Conference report agreed to by House (92-Y 2-N) |
02/27/2009 | VOTE: --- ADOPTION (92-Y 2-N) (see vote tally) |
02/28/2009 | Conference report agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
03/03/2009 | Impact statement from DPB (HB1878H2) |
03/09/2009 | Enrolled |
03/09/2009 | Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1878ER) |
03/09/2009 | Impact statement from DPB (HB1878ER) |
03/09/2009 | Signed by President |
03/11/2009 | Signed by Speaker |
03/30/2009 | Governor's recommendation received by House |
04/07/2009 | Placed on Calendar |
04/08/2009 | Amendments specific and severable |
04/08/2009 | House rejected Governor's recommendation amendments #'s 1, 2 and 3 (42-Y 57-N) |
04/08/2009 | VOTE: --- REJECTED (42-Y 57-N) (see vote tally) |
04/08/2009 | House concurred in Governor's recommendation amendment #4 (99-Y 0-N) |
04/08/2009 | VOTE: --- ADOPTION (99-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
04/08/2009 | Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation amendment #4 (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
04/08/2009 | G Governor's recommendation adopted in part |
04/08/2009 | Reenrolled |
04/08/2009 | Reenrolled bill text (HB1878ER2) |
04/08/2009 | Signed by Speaker as reenrolled |
04/08/2009 | Signed by President as reenrolled |
04/08/2009 | Communicated to Governor |
04/14/2009 | Reenrolled bill text (HB1878ER2) |
04/14/2009 | Reenrolled |
05/06/2009 | G Approved by Governor-Chapter 865 (effective 7/1/09) |
05/06/2009 | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0865) |
Video
This bill was discussed on the floor of the General Assembly. Below is all of the video that we have of that discussion, 2 clips in all, totaling 3 minutes.
Comments
Here are the noteworthy bits in this bill:
That's intended to address complaints across the state as a result of Virginia's long-standing prohibition on wearing any campaign materials to a polling place. Somebody wearing a "Vote McCain" t-shirt to a polling place would have been sent home to change clothes. There's an active lawsuit over just such a matter.
This is wading into the dispute over where college students vote. That was a topic of a lot of debate in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections, particularly in Williamsburg and Blacksburg. Del. Cosgrove is apparently seeking to prohibit students from voting in elections at their university. So a student from Fairfax who enrolls in Virginia Tech and lives there for ten years to get her undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate degree would be prohibited from voting there, prevented from deciding who will represent her on the town council.
This is addressing the non-existent problem of people voting repeatedly. As best as I can tell, this is a Republican scare tactic that has its roots in Democrats' Byrd Machine, which sought to keep poor blacks from voting by frightening or intimidating them.
I'm particularly concerned about this "establishing domicile" bit. "[A] person must live in a particular locality with the intention to remain there for an unlimited time." Really? I've got oodles of 20-something friends who (naturally) live in particular localities, but they no intention of remaining there "for an unlimited time." They're always looking for for a job in New York, considering relocating to Portland, etc. For folks who do not intend to live in one place "for an unlimited time," where are they to vote? The mere fact that somebody is considering moving to Portland will surely not entitle him to vote in Portland. But they'd be disqualified from voting here, under Del. Cosgrove's proposal.
There are many other changes in this bill. Some of them may well be much-needed housekeeping changes and improvements, but others are clearly not well thought-out.
The concept of "no taxation without representation" comes to mind. Waldo sums up my main question about the new definition of domicile very well.