I oppose HB 176. Please leave our local and constitutional offices as non-partisan. Constitutional duties should not be a partisan endeavor. These offices should remain independent of partisan affiliation.

The offices of sheriff, commonwealth's attorney, commissioner of the revenue and treasurer were set out in the state constitution to create checks and balances of transparency and responsiveness to We the People. They were not created to be beholden to a political party, or any other group or organization that may endorse them. Voters have a duty to elect these officers based on qualifications, not party affiliation. There is already too much partisanship in government today. HB176 only encourages more partisanship. Please vote NO on passing HB176.

Please oppose HB176 for the following reasons: • Of the 645 elected constitutional officers the MAJORITY DO NOT avail themselves of the party process and are non-partisan. • In the MAJORITY of Virginia localities the local governing body, school board and constitutional officers are ALL NON-PARTISAN offices. • This bill will only serve to increase partisanship in offices which should remain non-partisan. Presently, the majority of constitutional officers, in all five offices, run non-partisan. • Partisanship among ALL constitutional offices is unnecessary as we do not caucus with anyone. We come together, in a non-partisan manner, when issues impact us. • Adding CO’s to partisan politics could result in more primaries. Localities bear the full cost of primary elections. • This bill was NOT requested by any known constitutional officer or constitutional officer group. • “Local elections are best served by addressing local issues, not party issues…In our local elections we are not party connected, we are neighbors serving neighbors.” – VML 2012 Thank you for your time and consideration. Robin Coles Goard Commissioner of the Revenue Pittsylvania County

Please do not make local or constitutional offices partisan. Similar bills have failed to move forward in previous sessions. Sheriff's, commissioner of revenues, treasurers etc should focus on their duties, not be beholden to political parties. These bills, if passed, may exclude military involved or federal employees from running for office, due to the Hatch Act. Local and constitutional offices should be nonpartisan.

Each of these bills, HB 176, 413, and 429 would require party affiliation to be included on the ballot of constitutional officers. At a time of deadly political polarization, we should be moving to REDUCE the influence and impact of parties on our government. These bills go in the opposite direction. There is no Republican, Democratic or Independent way to be a treasurer or a court clerk. These are nonpartisan offices for a reason - we don't WANT partisanship in the basic administration of local government. Please don't make the mistake of supporting these measures and making partisan politics are even greater distraction to good governance. Thank you.

This bill is a bad idea, period. It was bad when it was proposed in past general sessions, and it's bad now. Party labels will undoubtedly shift the focus of these elections from individual qualifications to who has the support of various partisan institutions. Furthermore, constitutional officers have day-to-day duties that have nothing to do with their personal political persuasion. I want my sheriff to do his or her duty based on rule of law, not party alliances. The same goes for all the constitutional offices because the proper role of local governance is to serve the community, not the agendas of party leaders. We're already living in a time of considerable social unrest and polarization. Let's not make things worse. I ask that this committee vote to keep constitutional offices nonpartisan by rejecting and tabling HB176. Thank you for your time and attention.

Veterans for All Voters opposes HB 176 My name is Mike Cantwell. I am the Virginia Task Force Lead for Veterans for All voters. I am a retired Naval Officer, a retired Federal Government Employee, and a 30 resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia. HB 176 would make election for constitutional offices partisan, effectively prohibiting separating or retiring active duty military members and federal government employees from running for local or constitutional offices. Under current state and federal law, separating or retiring active duty military members and federal government employees are permitted to run for constitutional offices. If HB 176 becomes law, these patriotic Americans would risk violating federal law (the Hatch Act) if they campaign for office in a “partisan election” even if they run as an Independent. They would also be prohibited from participating in "partisan political activities" such as gathering petition signatures or hosting a fundraiser for a friend or neighbor. Do we really want to put a party label on Sheriffs, Commissioners of the Revenue, Treasurers, Commonwealth's Attorneys, and Clerks of the Circuit Court? Most voters say no. Voters want honest, competent local elected officials who swear an oath to serve and protect their local communities. I respectfully ask you to keep the status quo and allow separating or retiring active duty military members and federal government employees to run for constitutional offices. Please vote to lay HB 176 on the table. Mike Cantwell Virginia Task Force Lead - Veterans for All Voters 703-786-3922