As a former member of the Albemarle County Electoral Board and Virginia State Board of Elections and a member of the medical research community, I submit that information and data help provide the needed assistance in making decisions. Currently there is no collected data on the 45 Days of In-Person Voting to identify the cost and work required to provide this part of elections. Despite the fact that many of us have requested information no body of data is available. We do have data showing that greater than 75% of all in-person absentee voting occurs in the last two weeks before Election Day. There is no data on the cost of this process. A study group composed of those who administrate the In-Person Absentee Voting is needed so that the members of the General Assembly and the public better can make decisions on how and when this process should occur. Please vote to support this bill.

The League of Women Voters of Virginia believes that the study authorized in HJ50 is unnecessary. While we understand that there are costs involved in 45 days of early voting, the ballots are already printed to comply with federal law requiring ballots to be available to send to military and overseas voters. Voters start streaming into registrars’ offices on the 45th day before elections. Many of those voters work long hours, work multiple jobs, care for children, or care for elders, including some combination of those demands. Many who are themselves elderly must rely on others to get to the polls. Many voters have long commutes and cannot be sure they could get to their polling place on Election Day. Yet, they prefer to vote in person. They should not be deprived of the opportunity they already have to vote conveniently. Costs cannot fairly be compared to voters’ rights.