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Bill > HB904


VA HB904

VA HB904
Voter registration; list maintenance activities, cancellation procedures, required record matches.


summary

Introduced
01/09/2024
In Committee
02/29/2024
Crossed Over
03/06/2024
Passed
03/25/2024
Dead
Vetoed
05/17/2024

Introduced Session

Potential new amendment
2024 Regular Session

Bill Summary

Voter registration; list maintenance activities; cancellation procedures; required record matches; required identification information; data standards. Requires certain, specified identification information to be included on the lists received by the Department of Elections for list maintenance purposes and requires the Department, upon receiving any such list, to do an initial comparison of the information included on such list with the list of registered voters and determine the confidence score for any match. Matches with a confidence score of at least 80 are transmitted to the appropriate general registrars. The bill prohibits the use of voter data received from another state or jurisdiction or through a list comparison for list maintenance purposes when the data file does not include a unique identifier for each individual whose information is contained in the data file. The bill requires the Department of Elections to annually review all sources of data utilized for list maintenance activities for the purpose of determining the validity, completeness, accuracy, and reliability of the data received from each source, and to include the results of such review in its annual report to the Committees on Privileges and Elections regarding its list maintenance activities. The bill requires the general registrars to send notice prior to cancelling a voter's record regardless of the reason for cancellation. Lastly, the bill clarifies that when a voter's registration is canceled, a cancellation record must be created, and that such records are public in accordance with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and the National Voter Registration Act. The bill includes numerous technical amendments for organizational purposes.

AI Summary

This bill makes several changes to Virginia's voter registration list maintenance activities, including: - Requiring the Department of Elections to compare voter registration records with lists of deceased persons, felons, and those adjudicated incapacitated, and transmit matches to general registrars to allow them to cancel registrations. The Department must also annually review the validity, completeness, and reliability of data sources used for list maintenance. - Establishing a regular, periodic process for the Department to identify voters who have moved and notify them to update their registration, placing them on inactive status if they do not respond within 30 days. - Allowing a voter to cancel their own registration by submitting a written authorization, and requiring general registrars to provide notice before cancelling a registration for other reasons like felony convictions or lack of citizenship. - Requiring local electoral boards to develop and annually update security plans for voter registration systems and technologies, with the Department of Elections able to limit access if standards are not met. - Repealing existing provisions related to the removal of inactive voters and establishing a new multi-election process for cancelling registrations of inactive voters.

Committee Categories

Budget and Finance, Government Affairs

Sponsors (3)

Last Action

Governor: Vetoed by Governor (on 05/17/2024)

bill text


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