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Bill > HJR2


VA HJR2

VA HJR2
Constitutional amendment (second reference); qualifications of voters and the right to vote; persons not entitled to vote.


summary

Introduced
11/17/2025
In Committee
01/14/2026
Crossed Over
01/14/2026
Passed
01/16/2026
Dead

Introduced Session

Potential new amendment
2026 Regular Regular Session

Bill Summary

Constitutional amendment (second reference); qualifications of voters and the right to vote; persons not entitled to vote. Provides that every person who meets the qualifications of voters set forth in the Constitution shall have the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth and that such right shall not be abridged by law, except for persons who have been convicted of a felony and persons who have been adjudicated to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting. A person who has been convicted of a felony shall not be entitled to vote during any period of incarceration for such felony conviction, but upon release from incarceration for that felony conviction and without further action required of him such person shall be invested with all political rights, including the right to vote. Currently, in order to be qualified to vote a person convicted of a felony must have his civil rights restored by the Governor or other appropriate authority. The amendment also provides that a person adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction as lacking the capacity to understand the act of voting shall not be entitled to vote during this period of incapacity until his capacity has been reestablished as prescribed by law. Currently, the Constitution provides that a person who has been adjudicated to be mentally incompetent is not qualified to vote until his competency is reestablished.

AI Summary

This joint resolution proposes an amendment to the Virginia Constitution's voter qualification section, which aims to clarify and modify voting rights, particularly for individuals with felony convictions and those adjudicated as lacking voting capacity. The amendment maintains existing requirements that voters must be U.S. citizens, at least 18 years old, residents of the Commonwealth, and registered to vote, while explicitly establishing voting as a fundamental right. Specifically, the resolution modifies felony voting rights by allowing individuals to automatically regain their right to vote upon release from incarceration, removing the previous requirement of having civil rights formally restored by the Governor. For individuals adjudicated as lacking the capacity to understand voting, the amendment preserves the provision that they cannot vote during their period of incapacity, but must be able to regain voting rights once their capacity is reestablished through legal processes. The resolution also preserves existing provisions about residence requirements and allows for pre-registration of voters who will meet age qualifications by the next general election, with the goal of making voting access clearer and more straightforward while maintaining basic eligibility standards.

Committee Categories

Government Affairs

Sponsors (64)

Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D)* Kimberly Adams (D),  Jessica Anderson (D),  Bonita Anthony (D),  Alex Askew (D),  David Bulova (D),  Katrina Callsen (D),  Kacey Carnegie (D),  Betsy Carr (D),  Stacey Carroll (D),  Nadarius Clark (D),  Laura Jane Cohen (D),  Joshua Cole (D),  Nicole Cole (D),  Kelly Convirs-Fowler (D),  Rae Cousins (D),  Karrie Delaney (D),  Lindsey Dougherty (D),  Mark Downey (D),  Michael Feggans (D),  Lily Franklin (D),  Debra Gardner (D),  Jackie Glass (D),  Elizabeth Guzmán (D),  C.E. Hayes (D),  Dan Helmer (D),  J.R. Henson (D),  Phil Hernandez (D),  Charniele Herring (D),  Patrick Hope (D),  Michael Jones (D),  Karen Keys-Gamarra (D),  Paul Krizek (D),  Amy Laufer (D),  Destiny LeVere Bolling (D),  Michelle Lopes-Maldonado (D),  Alfonso Lopez (D),  Fernando Martinez (D),  John Chilton McAuliff (D),  Adele McClure (D),  Delores McQuinn (D),  Leslie Chambers Mehta (D),  Candi Mundon King (D),  May Nivar (D),  Marcia Price (D),  Sam Rasoul (D),  Atoosa Reaser (D),  David Reid (D),  Don Scott (D),  Holly Seibold (D),  Briana Sewell (D),  Irene Shin (D),  Mark Sickles (D),  Marcus Simon (D),  Shelly Simonds (D),  J.J. Singh (D),  Richard Sullivan (D),  Josh Thomas (D),  Virgil Thornton (D),  Luke Torian (D),  Kathy Tran (D),  Jeion Ward (D),  Vivian Watts (D),  Rodney Willett (D), 

Last Action

Agreed to by Senate (on 01/16/2026)

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