VSC NAACP supports SB991.

Thank you, Senator Williams Graves for introducing this legislation! Please support SB991. This legislation would extend the close of books for voter registration to ten (10) days prior to the election, which is the same deadline to request an absentee ballot. This would promote voter access. This would also reduce the number of early voting Same Day (SDR) Provisional Ballots. In November 2024, Norfolk had 1,000 SDRs during early voting. Each SDR requires research, processing, and review by the local Registrar's office and approval by the Electoral Board. This legislation would enable one deadline for voters to register and/or request an absentee ballot. Resources within the Registrars' offices would also benefit in time management savings. Please support SB991. Thank you!

I support SB991. With current technology General Registrars do not need 21 days to prepare the voter lists for the election pollbooks. And by leaving Voter registration open longer, VA citizens have more time to register to vote before the election. Hopefully, the extra 11 days to register to vote provided in this bill will help to reduce the number of Same Day Registrations, which have placed a tremendous burden on Election Officers in the polling locations and on General Registrars having to process them immediately after the election and on Electoral Boards having to process thousands of them after the election.

The League of Women Voters of Virginia supports SB991, as passed by the Senate. This bill would allow eligible citizens the opportunity to register to vote for an additional 11 days before an election and still cast a regular ballot, whether voting in-person during early voting, by absentee ballot, or on election day. More voters would avoid having to cast provisional ballots through the same day registration process. As we all know, the same day registration process plays a vital role to enfranchise eligible citizens, but the rule adds burdens to everyone involved--voters and election officials alike.