Public Comments for 02/17/2023 Privileges and Elections
SB1150 - 2011 district descriptions; legal boundaries.
SB1427 - Campaign finance; political action committees, certain large pre-election expenditures.
The League of Women Voters supports SB1427. Voters have a need to access electronically filed information showing that a PAC has made a large campaign expenditure, particularly in the days just before an Election. Large PAC expenditures, as covered in this bill, evidence particular support for a candidate, which voters have a right to know when they go to the polls on Election Day.
The faster the information gets publicly released that better the transparency. Both these bills help get this information to the public faster. Please join the Senate in strong support to these measures.
Nancy Morgan, Coordinator of the non-partisan group, BigMoneyOutVA. We advocate on behalf of campaign finance reform in Virginia. We support this common sense disclosure recommendation on special filings related to large PAC expenditures. We wish that the legislation also covered Federal and out-of-state PACs, but this legislation moves us in the right direction. Recent Wason Center polling shows that nearly 90 percent of Virginians want full disclosure. It is bills like this which improve transparency on who is trying to influence our elections that builds trust in government . We urge you to support this bill.
SB1431 - Elected and certain appointed; procedure for removal by courts.
SB1514 - General registrars; petition for removal.
I oppose SB 1514. Local Electoral Boards are the conduit for public involvement in the election process. They are the closest to the voting public. This policy will allow the SBE to leapfrog over the Electoral Board by going directly to the courts rather than first addressing the issue with the board as is currently required under the law. This diminishes the authority of the local board and by extension diminishes the voice of the local electorate. This policy also inserts the courts into the process by law rather than as a result of a grievance or dispute. The local Electoral Board has the authority to make this constitutional appointment, it should retain the authority of reappointment decisions. For these reasons, I oppose SB 1514
SB944 - Elections; filling vacancies in Gen. Assembly, certain vacancies to be filled between 30/45 days.
The League of Women Voters supports SB 944. We encourage all efforts to codify the process for filling of vacancies in the General Assembly. These amendments remove partisan gamesmanship and help assure that all Virginians are represented in our General Assembly.