As the Vice-President of the American Council of the Blind of Virginia, I strongly urge you to support HB493. While an accessible absentee voting portal currently exists, voters must still print, sign, and mail their ballots—tasks many cannot perform independently or privately. HB493 would require the Department of Elections to develop a secure, accessible electronic system allowing covered voters to receive, mark, and return absentee ballots online. This bill would benefit people who are blind or have low vision by eliminating the need to depend on others for functions that they may not be able to perform independently. In addition, in many largely rural areas of the state, there are few transportation options, making accessible absentee voting imperative. Thirteen states have already adopted secure electronic ballot return systems with no security issues having been reported. Virginia should do the same to protect every voter’s right to a private and independent ballot.

I support HB493. Despite protestations of potential fraud and lack of security, thirteen states have adopted some kind of electronic return, including West Virginia, and there seems to be no problem with their system of recording ballots. Military and overseas voters would not have to worry about the vagaries of the mail-in process, wondering whether their vote got to the registrar on time. As a blind person, electronic return would provide me with a direct, efficient way of voting. As of now, I must fill out my ballot on- line, print it, and find the correct line to sign my name, and mail the ballot . I would probably need some assistance, so my vote would not be private. I know that, according to some comments, people envisage some kind of voter scam, but it is always easy to be apprehensive when a new way of doing things is introduced. Please support this bill.

I am a blind Virginian, and I deserve the same right to vote privately and independently as every other Virginian. Virginia’s current system, which requires voters to return paper absentee ballots by mail, does not provide equal access for voters who are blind or print-disabled. Blind and print-disabled voters must rely on other people to complete critical steps in the voting process, depriving us of the privacy and independence guaranteed under federal law. The law is clear: • The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) guarantees voters with disabilities the right to mark, cast, and verify their ballots privately and independently.
 • The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires equal access to the voting process.
 • The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) protects the rights of military and overseas voters and recognizes the unique barriers created by distance, mail delays, and unreliable delivery. The barriers created by paper ballots returned by mail are not theoretical. According to a report by the U.S. Department of Justice, voters with disabilities are five times as likely to require assistance or encounter problems compared to voters without disabilities. Before losing my sight, I served our country overseas for nearly two decades. I am intimately familiar with the realities of military and diplomatic mail systems. Delays, lost mail, and unreliable delivery are common. Electronic ballot return is neither new nor radical. It is already used successfully in more than a dozen states. Every voting system carries some risk; the appropriate response is to mitigate and manage those risks—not to deny entire groups of voters their civil rights. There are approximately 175,000 blind and low-vision voters in Virginia. There are more than 120,000 active-duty service members in the Commonwealth who may be deployed overseas at any time, and a large number of U.S. Foreign Service Officers also call Virginia home. Please vote to support the voting rights of ALL Virginians.
Please support HB493.

I am almost totallyu blind and I always voted in all elections. Please pass this legislation that will allow those who are blind or visually impaired to be an active part of this critical American process.

Testimony of Aquene Freechild Campaign Co-Director, Democracy Campaign, Public Citizen Madam Chair, Members of the Committee, Public Citizen works daily to ensure convenient and accessible voting for all - there are options worth exploring without internet voting. A few years ago, the state that includes Sydney, Australia had to re-run an election because their limited online voting system crashed. More than 30,000 people called the iVote helpline in desperation, many with no other option. All they got was a voicemail saying, "sorry for the inconvenience." An unknown number of people lost their right to vote in that election. The state re-ran 3 contests, but there were at least 19 in contests in question. There are MANY other ways an internet voting system can fail and deeply damage our democracy: - If I mark my e-ballot for Sen. Jones. The software at the county elections office can still record that I marked my ballot for Sen. Smith on their end, even print that I voted for Smith on a paper ballot once it arrives. - Currently Virginia voters can verify their own ballots as they mark them, or once they print out, and that voter reviewed record is there should there be any problems with voting machines or software. - Hackers ransomed 100+ county governments last year. - Employees make errors - If you can’t tell how many votes there should be, you can’t tell how many are missing. Or how many were added. - The loss of thousands of votes can go undetected. Again, votes through any error, glitch or hack could vanish or change undetected. - There is no meaningful recount of an election with internet voting, only a very expensive re-run of the whole thing In Australia, winning candidates were in tears in court because they couldn’t afford to run again. The state had to sue the candidates to force the new election. Ecuador had to re-run it’s federal legislative elections thanks to a similar problem in 2023. Imagine in this moment in the United States of consolidating authoritarianism, introducing this kind of wild card. Our democracy, survived a nearly successful coup attempt on January 6th based on lies about an election WITH paper ballots recounted by bipartisan teams and lots of observers. What would happen here if there were no ballots of record to recount? What record is there of elections being re-run at all in the United States? Who runs our government while this gets litigated? The Australian internet voting system was shut down. Let’s not repeat their mistake. Thank you.

Please see attached written testimony.

I urge you to reject HB 493 which would introduce Internet voting to Virginia for the first time. Although, returning cast ballots electronically may sound innocuous, it would expose our elections to serious risks of fraud that are nearly impossible to detect or remedy. The vast majority of computer scientists and technical experts tell us that it is not possible to conduct a secure verifiable election via today’s Internet, despite sweeping assurances made by vendors and advocates. At first glance, it may seem alarmist to warn of unsolvable security threats given the amount of electronic on-line commerce and banking conducted daily. But recognize that we accept the loss of billions each year to financial fraud, identity theft and other cyber crimes as the cost of that convenience. By contrast, how much election fraud can we tolerate? Securing electronic elections is MUCH more difficult than electronic banking, In a financial system, customers can get receipts and statements tied to their identity. Administrators can view customer transaction details and change data to correct errors, even after the workday ends. Transactions are logged and inspected by auditors looking for fraud. None of these safeguards are available in an election. Voters cannot be able to prove how they voted to prevent selling votes, there can be no receipts or useful security logs including voter identity. There can be no administrators that can correct a problem after the fact. Votes must be both verified and prevented from modification, yet be transparent to recounts and audits. These restrictions make conducting a secure on-line election near impossible. The DoD (now DoW) spent millions of dollars over years attempting to find secure voting solutions and failed. Vendors and advocates tell people what they want to hear, quick to claim they have (or will have) easy solutions that never stand up to real scrutiny. Be skeptical. Despite good intentions, this bill is risking the bedrock of our democracy to solve a problem that already has reasonable solutions. Current law already allows disabled voters to use on-line systems to assist them marking a ballot. Current law already allows military and overseas voters to request and receive blank ballots electronically with plenty of time (45 days) to return them before Election Day. These actions can be done relatively safely on-line because they don’t require keeping the voter identity secrecy, unlike a cast ballot. The only convenience that this bill would add is the ability to avoid returning the cast ballot by mail. By keeping that final step off line, current law prevents many kinds of attacks on our elections and enables transparency and oversight. In recent years, we have seen incredible pressure placed on our election systems and personnel, and rising distrust in election results. Our elections are an extremely high value target of interest to motivated and capable state funded actors seeking to disrupt our democracy. Keeping our elections off-line is essential to keeping them safe. Making ballot access easier is a noble goal, but should not come at the expense of the integrity of our elections. Beware of unintended consequences. I strongly urge you to reject HB 493 and any moves toward Internet voting.

I oppose this bill. TWO WRONGS DON’T MAKE IT RIGHT. How disrespectful Mrs. Louise Lucas cussing out others who disagree. She allowed destruction, looting, vandalism, and violence to happen. Today’s Democrats have lost their way especially during Biden’s tyrannical presidency.

I am writing to comment on HB493. I am opposed to ballots being received, marked and cast electronically through the internet. I don't believe that this method is secure partly due to the increasing number of online scams that are confusing to people and deceive many. I think there is too much at stake to use this method currently. I believe that votes, cast this way, could be easily invalidated for frivolous reasons. The internet is now under much surveillance and manipulated by hackers. I want to know that everyone's votes will be cast in a way that will be securely validated in our local, state and national elections by all candidates, not only at the end of the election day but also during close election recounts that are certain to occur. Please do not approve this bill.

I am writing to you on behalf of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law to oppose House Bill 493, which would expand existing Virginia law to allow the electronic return of marked ballots via the Internet. The Brennan Center is a national nonpartisan law and policy institute that seeks to improve our systems of democracy and justice. The Brennan Center has a long history of partnering with election administrators, legislators, and other elected officials at the local, state, and federal level to reform and improve our elections and election administration. Every independent review has found that we currently lack the technology to make electronic ballot return secure from attack. In 2020 and again in 2024, four federal executive branch agencies --the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (part of the Department of Homeland Security or DHS), the Election Assistance Commission, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-- jointly released a report concluding that internet-based return of votes presents a “high risk” to United States elections and cannot be secured. It noted that, with internet-based ballot return, hackers from anywhere in the world could engage in large-scale, high-volume tampering with ballots that could impact results and possibly the outcome of an election. Two of these agencies have opined repeatedly on the issue over the years. In 2022, NIST issued the report Promoting Access to Voting: Recommendations for Addressing Barriers to Private and Independent Voting for People with Disabilities and notably did not include internet-based ballot return among its recommendations because, as it concluded, “there remain significant security, privacy, and ballot secrecy challenges.” These agencies are not the only independent experts to opine on the issue. The Department of Defense has stated it “does not advocate for the electronic transmission of any voted ballot, whether it be by fax, email or via the Internet.” The United States Select Senate Committee on Intelligence concluded in a 2020 report that “States should resist pushes for online voting,” because “no system of online voting has yet established itself as secure.” And a Working Group from the Center for Security in Politics at the University of California, Berkeley formed to determine “the feasibility of technical and implementation standards that would enable safe and secure digital remote ballot marking and return of these ballots” instead concluded “the current cybersecurity environment and state of technology makes it infeasible for the Working Group to draft responsible standards to support the use of internet ballot return in U.S. public elections at this time.” For at least a decade, our foreign adversaries—including Russia, China, and Iran—have launched cyberattacks targeting the United States’ digital election infrastructure. They have done so in the 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024 federal elections, with the goal of undermining confidence in our elections. At the same time, federal agencies have cut back on cyber and other election security support for local election offices. Additionally, there is an active movement within the U.S. to undermine confidence in our elections. Within this context, it is unwise for Virginia to adopt the use of electronic ballot return. PLEASE READ ENTIRE LETTER ATTACHED OPPOSING HB493. - Lawrence Norden, VP, Elections & Government

Written Testimony in Opposition to HB493 Chair Cole and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony on HB493. We recognize and agree with the intent of HB493 but cannot support the approach and method that HB493 would provide. I serve as the Senior Advisor on Election Security for Free Speech For People, a national, non-profit non-partisan legal advocacy organization dedicated to defending our democracy and our Constitution. As part of our mission, we are committed to promoting, through legal actions and advocacy, secure, transparent, trustworthy, and accessible voting policies for all voters. We work directly to improve access to the ballot for all voters. For example, we launched a legal challenge to voter registration restrictions in Arizona, resulting in tens of thousands of additional voters being able to register to vote. But we also work to ensure that all voting methods will reliably, accessibly and securely record all votes as intended, and count all votes as cast. There’s no question that voters with print disabilities face unique challenges in returning an absentee ballot and that there should be exploration to address those challenges. But we vigorously oppose the electronic return of voted ballots because ballots transmitted electronically, by email, fax and online ballot portal, are all at high risk for privacy risks, manipulation, and fraud. At a time when election confidence is under attack, employing dangerously insecure electronic ballot return will degrade not just the security of Virginia’s elections, but also confidence in elections and trust in government. FULL WRITTEN TESTIMONY AVAILABLE IN ATTACHED WRITTEN TESTIMONY STATEMENT

OPPOSED - HB493 - FULL STATEMENT ATTACHED I am writing to you on behalf of Common Cause. Common Cause’s mission is to uphold the core values of American democracy by creating an open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest, promotes equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all, and empowers people to make their voices heard in the political process. We are a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization with approximately 20,678 members in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We respectfully requested that you read our entire letter in opposition to HB493 which contains linked cited sources. Sincerely, Susannah Goodman Policy Director, Voting and Fair Representation Common Cause

NO on HB 493 Internet or Online Voting cannot assure voting safety. Only those who would desire and benefit from lesser means of voting security would vote for this. Think before you vote the appearance of voting for LESS voting security.

I am opposed to any all bill that make it easier to cheat in elections like these bills being presented. I am opposed to any and all bills that make same sex marriage acceptable. I am opposed to any and all bills that allow full term abortion and allow minors to have abortions with out the parents knowledge. I am opposed to any and all bills that would allow minors to undergo transgender surgery . I am opposed to any and all bills that will raise taxes while the politicians are trying to give themselves a 150% increase no that is not acceptable.

I request that you vote AGAINST HB493. This is only one of several bills that will reduce verification of overseas civilian voters. HB493 (https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB493) , allows UOCAVA voters to vote electronically. (Note in HB493,  see lines 44-45 in the pdf: "When this statement has been properly completed and signed by the registered voter, his ballot shall not be subject to challenge pursuant to § 24.2-651."). This will reduce security of the ballot. The risk of HB493 is augmented by HB640, under which challenges are now required to be filed in the Court and not with the Registrar. Under the proposed HB640 (https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB640 ), overseas civilians' registrations will not be susceptible to challenges.  The risk of HB493 is augmented under HB111 (see pdf lines 62-70 https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1082433.PDF), which states the registrar can't cancel a UOCAVA voter's registration if that voter shows up in another state under the Driver License Compact, further augmenting the risks of HB493. Furthermore, HB213 further augments the risks of HB493. By repealing 24.2-453, HB213 will remove a crucial qualifier for overseas civilian voters. Virginia already does NOT require prior residence in the state. Without the requirement for an affirmation that the overseas voter resides there for employment or as a dependent of someone who is there for employment, anyone can vote as an overseas civilian with no proof of prior residence or any excuse for overseas residence. In conclusion, please vote NO on HB493.

HB493 endangers election integrity by mandating the Department of Elections to implement a system for certain qualified absentee voters (e.g., those with disabilities) to receive, mark, and cast ballots electronically via the internet—exposing the process to hacking, cyber threats, malware, or foreign interference without foolproof safeguards like verifiable paper trails. This online voting expansion risks undetectable fraud, errors in transmission, or voter coercion in unmonitored settings, complicating audits and eroding public confidence in secure, transparent elections. Traditional absentee methods with physical ballots better protect against manipulation; prioritizing digital access over robust security invites abuse in critical races.

The League of Women Voters of Virginia respectfully submits statements with respect to four of the bills before the Voting Rights Subcommittee of the House Privileges and Elections Committee. The bills are: HB 493 - Oppose HB 640 - Support HB 1014 - Support HB 1244 - Support The full statements are found in the attachment.

Electronic ballot return (including mobile, email, fax, or website portal) fails to confer trust that each vote is counted as cast. The security risks associated with electronic ballot return are severe, well-documented, and broadly acknowledged by the federal government’s top security agencies and the nation’s leading cybersecurity experts. At present, no known technology can secure ballots returned over the internet.

Oppose Democrats and Socialists forcing gerrymandering in Virginia. We know that the left is trying to get power. We know the illegal aliens are one source for getting democratic votes. What happened to following the Rule of Law in America and following it without causing chaos, lockdowns, destruction, propaganda, riots, censoring, spying, fraudulent schemes, mail in ballots, and other forms of corruption?