The League of Women Voters supports HB 904, a bill that will improve Virginia’s voter list maintenance activities and show the public many steps that are taken to ensure accuracy and security. This bill’s provisions will go a long way toward preventing incorrect voter purges, which approximately 3,400 voters experienced last year. Qualified voters should not be disenfranchised for nonexistent felony convictions nor for technical violations after their rights have been restored. Virginia should not be subject to other states’ errors either. Record matching will be more precise, helping to protect eligible citizens from disenfranchisement and prevent those who are no longer eligible from voting in Virginia. The bill also strengthens record keeping requirements so that a mistakenly disenfranchised voter can find out what happened. The bill codifies in detail security and list maintenance procedures that are already in place throughout the Commonwealth. Every locality has a security plan in place, subject to annual reconsideration. The Department of Elections’ IT team can assist any locality that needs help in reaching minimum standards. Change of address procedures are already in place but the bill spells out the standards. This bill accomplishes two things, better list maintenance so that only qualified voters can vote, and rebuilding public confidence in elections.

The League of Women Voters supports HB 904, a bill that will improve Virginia’s voter list maintenance activities and show the public many steps that are taken to ensure accuracy and security. This bill’s provisions will go a long way toward preventing incorrect voter purges, which approximately 3,400 voters experienced last year. Qualified voters should not be disenfranchised for nonexistent felony convictions nor for technical violations after their rights have been restored. Virginia should not be subject to other states’ errors either. Record matching will be more precise, helping to protect eligible citizens from disenfranchisement and prevent those who are no longer eligible from voting in Virginia. The bill also strengthens record keeping requirements so that a mistakenly disenfranchised voter can find out what happened. The bill codifies in detail security and list maintenance procedures that are already in place throughout the Commonwealth. Every locality has a security plan in place, subject to annual reconsideration. The Department of Elections’ IT team can assist any locality that needs help in reaching minimum standards. Change of address procedures are already in place but the bill spells out the standards. This bill accomplishes two things, better list maintenance so that only qualified voters can vote and rebuilding public confidence in elections.

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(Additional comments from the LWV-VA in support of HB 904) The bill codifies in detail security and list maintenance procedures that are already in place throughout the Commonwealth. Every locality has a security plan in place, subject to annual reconsideration. The Department of Elections’ IT team can assist any locality that needs help in reaching minimum standards. Change of address procedures are already in place but the bill spells out standards. This bill accomplishes two things, better list maintenance so that qualified voters can vote and people who should not vote here cannot, and it rebuilds public confidence in elections.

The League of Women Voters supports HB 904, a bill that will improve Virginia’s voter list maintenance activities and show the public many steps that are taken to ensure accuracy and security. This bill’s provisions will go a long way toward preventing incorrect voter purges, which approximately 3,400 voters experienced last year. Qualified voters should not be disenfranchised for nonexistent felony convictions nor for technical violations after their rights have been restored. Virginia should not be subject to other states’ errors either. Record matching will be more precise, helping to protect eligible citizens from disenfranchisement and prevent those who are no longer eligible from voting in Virginia. The bill also strengthens record keeping requirements so that a mistakenly disenfranchised voter can find out what happened.