Insure you sign COS and stop with politics!

During the course of your duties, when considering our (Election Administrators/General Registrars/Directors of Elections) request to finally be paid commensurate with our duties after 29 years of added duties without corresponding compensation, please keep in mind that every election law that is passed adds to our duties. There were over 69 NEW Election laws last year in the midst of a pandemic and the most grueling, contentious election cycle EVER. Every election law passed without funding jeopardizes our ability to get it all done due to lack of resources, staff, funding and time. The loss of any of the experienced, dedicated General Registrars because of compensation is a travesty and is likely to become a reality without the appropriate compensation. Please correct this inequity in compensation THIS SESSION. 1. Adjust compensation brackets in accordance with state studies (2 of them) 2. resume 100% reimbursement of NEW base salary to localities 3. Make it happen THIS session. We have earned it. We are the ones out here taking the abuse as a result of unfounded accusations and insinuations. Please understand that the 133 General Registrars statewide who count votes, compile results, verify results, process absentee by mail ballots, and so much more, do so with bi-partisan observers (sent by local political committees!!) and sworn election officials every.single.step! NOTHING is done in secret. EVERYTHING is reviewed and verified by a three member board (Electoral Board) representing both political parties. These board members are nominated by the local political committees and signed off on by a panel of judges! WE are not the enemy and the more you present laws insinuating that something is shady, the more you erode voter confidence on both sides of the aisle! The fact that a bill has passed the house to ADD SUNDAYS to early voting should be enough reason to pay us appropriately itself. We work 100s and 1000s of hours of overtime yet aren't paid equally and aren't valued equally to our fellow county government counterparts. The longer you ignore this and pass over doing the right thing, the more you send the message to your constituents, candidates, and fellow delegates that elections aren't important to you. NOW is the time to make this right.

Insure you sign COS and stop with politics!

I would make some changes to our election process. -rigid background checks for candidates BEFORE they run -any qualified person can run regardless of money backing them -elections should be a PUBLIC SERVICE requiring NO huge financial backing (that would eliminate big corporations, tech, media, etc., and include the average American who can not PAY for a candidate) that encourages puppets in government -campaigning on TV and in public should be free and volunteers working for candidates

Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, I support HB1921. I write as a member of the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities (VBPD) Training Alumni Association (TAA)—an organization comprised of graduates from the VBPD Partners in Policymaking (PIP) and Youth Leadership Academy (YLA). The TAA represents four regional chapters across Virginia: Central (CVA), Northern (NOVA), Tidewater (TARC), and Southwest (SWA). The mission is to engage in grassroots advocacy on behalf of Virginians with disabilities. Voting, as you know, is an American principle and a basic democratic right that should be protected, promoted, and practiced. The 26th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America states that the right to vote held by citizens of the United States, eighteen years of age or older, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age. In conducting research, I understand the following: • If you are 65 or older, or have a physical disability, you may vote on Election Day without leaving your vehicle. • If you would like to use curbside voting, remember to bring a helper with you who can enter the polling place to ask an election officer for curbside assistance. Current practices of curbside voting across the Commonwealth are discriminatory and in violation of Title III of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) on the grounds that persons without disabilities are allowed to vote without the need for a helper to accompany them to exercise their constitutional right. HB1921 would help to ensure that people with disabilities and senior citizens in the Commonwealth can exercise their constitutional right to vote curbside without barriers at any and all polling stations throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. I therefore support HB1921 and I hope you will join me with your support.

The Virginia Board for People with Disabilities supports accessible, independent curbside voting. Current law does not explicitly require notice at the polling place on how to access curbside voting without entering the polling site. Signs on how to alert a poll worker to a voter’s need for curbside voting ensure that a voter who needs to vote curbside can vote independently, without requiring them to bring or find another person to go into the polling place for them to alert poll workers to the curbside voting request. When the dLCV surveyed polling places in March, 90% of polling places did not have any way for someone to vote curbside independently. This is consistent with concerns we have heard in our election forum for the disability community. This bill is consistent with the current ELECT guidance and will make curbside voting more accessible for voters with disabilities.

The VEA supports this bill.

As someone who uses a wheelchair and is severely immunocompromised, HB 1921 means a lot to me. Due to progressive(and rather aggressive) multiple sclerosis, I now use a power wheelchair full-time. As such, my parking is severely limited, generally 1 or 2 accessible spots to allow me to deploy my ramp and get my 400 lb. wheelchair into the polling location. On occasion, the crosshatch spots are occupied by inconsiderate folks who don’t understand the utility and that without that spot, I’m limited to being stuck in my van. If I were able to stay in my van and request a curbside ballot, it would be infinitely more convenient but also would help alleviate my reticence about getting out of the van and having a fall. At this point, I generally have a fall transferring from my driver seat to wheelchair about once every 2 to 3 months. When this happens, it’s not a trivial experience since I need to get medical support to get off the floor. Voting should not be something that I have trepidations about and I think it’s a personal responsibility for all.This bill would help alleviate some of that anxiety.

VBPD supports accessible, independent curbside voting. Current law does not explicitly require notice at the polling place on how to access curbside voting without entering the polling site. Signs on how to alert a poll worker to a voter’s need for curbside voting ensure that a voter who needs to vote curbside can vote independently, without requiring them to bring or find another person to go into the polling place for them to alert poll workers to the curbside voting request. When the dLCV surveyed polling places in March, 90% of polling places did not have any way for someone to vote curbside independently. This is consistent with concerns we have heard in our election forum for the disability community. This bill is consistent with the current ELECT guidance and will make curbside voting more accessible for voters with disabilities.

Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, I support HB 1921. Thank You.

My name is Sohail Safeer. I am resident of Henrico, Virginia I am chair of the Elections Sub Committee of the Training Alumni Association (TAA), a grassroots advocacy organization for people with disabilities, composed of graduates from the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities (VBPD) Partners in Policymaking (PIP) and Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) Training Programs represent Alumni throughout the Central (CVA), Northern (NoVA), Tidewater (TARC) and Southwest (SWA) Regions. We respectfully ask the Subcommittee to favourably report HB 1921. We wrote to Commissioner Department of Elections, the State of Virginia on September 21st,2020 informing them that people with disabilities have encountered several challenges and inconsistencies at numerous polling locations across the Commonwealth. We informed them as we believe that the current curbside voting language and practices are unfair and discriminatory and therefore, violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. We sent them for an urgent review, a Corrective Action Letter with Recommendations addressing the Virginia Department of Elections' current practices of curbside voting across the Commonwealth of Virginia. We further submitted that they are discriminatory and in violation of Title III of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) on the grounds that persons without disabilities are allowed to vote without the need for a helper to accompany them to exercise their constitutional right. We reinforced our observations to be reviewed and adopted as soon as possible,as the Presidential Elections of 2020 was in foresight, in order to ensure that people with disabilities and senior citizens in the Commonwealth of Virginia can exercise their constitutional right to vote curbside without barriers at any and all polling stations throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Commissioner department of elections responded on October 1st, 2020 that they did acknowledge that they understand that they recommend the Virginia Department of Elections, the general registrar, and local voter registration offices require all polling locations to designate a polling officer to be stationed curbside, at the entrance of the polling location door to provide assistance to people with disabilities, and seniors to be able to vote in the same private and independent manner as a voter without a disability; recommend that an alarm system or remote bell be installed at all polling locations so that election officials are immediately notified when a curbside voter arrives at the polling location; recommend that curbside voters be notified by an election official of the anticipated wait time which should not exceed 5-7 minutes after being notified of arrival as extended wait times could result in detrimental medical complications. The department of Elections did acknowledge that Neither the Virginia Department of Elections nor the State Board of Elections has authority to provide guidance to local elections officials that contradicts the clear instructions provided in the Code of Virginia. As it is pertinent to legislate into a law detailing threadbare HB 1921 elucidates clearly and fulfils a long gap. We strongly support HB 1921 Ms Price -Assistance for certain voters; curbside voting.

My name is Bruce Smith, resident of Prince William County, Virginia. I am representing AARP Virginia. We support HB 1921. Thank you.

Mr Chairman: There are several bills currently being considered by this Committee of interest to the League. The League urges support of the following: HB 2020 Mr. Helmer -Nomination of candidates for elected offices; restrictions on nomination method selected by political party. HB 1921 Ms. Price -Assistance for certain voters; curbside voting. HB 1968 Mr Bagby -Absentee voting; early in person; availability on Sundays. The League urges the committee oppose: HB 2209 Mr. Gilbert Absentee voting; signature match; provisional ballot status. HB 2208 Mr. Runion Absentee ballots; witness requirement; printed name and residence address. Thank you for this opportunity. Respectfully submitted, Lisa Koteen Gerchick on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Virginia

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society supports HB 1921, to require greater notification about the right to access curbside voting, and commends Delegate Price for introducing this important legislation. Currently, most voting locations in Virginia require an individual to go into the polling place to ask that a ballot be brought out; for immunocompromised and/or Virginians living with a disability, this may create an additional barrier to casting a ballot or make voting impossible due to inaccessibility. We respectfully ask the Subcommittee to favorably report HB 1921. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Recent studies estimate nearly 1 million in the United States are living with MS. Symptoms vary from person to person and range from numbness and tingling to walking difficulties, fatigue, dizziness, pain, depression, blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are leading to better understanding and moving us closer to a world free of MS. Voting is one our nation’s most fundamental rights, yet historically people living with disabilities have been excluded from this core aspect of citizenship. Research shows that people with disabilities pay more attention to presidential elections and that election results matter more to people with disabilities when compared to people without disabilities . This exclusion is potentially exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a nationwide study from 2016, only 40% of polling places nationwide met federal requirements regarding structural/architectural accessibility . When looking at the number of polling places that met both federal physical accessibility requirements had appropriate technology for people living with disabilities, only 17%, or less than 1 in 5, polling places nationwide were considered fully accessible . These findings highlight the need for more accessible curbside voting. The Society strongly supports the expansion of curbside voting to allow voters with disabilities to access in-person voting without having to navigate accessibility barriers. This includes signage announcing the availability of curbside voting, a method for the voter to request assistance curbside without having to enter the polling place and receive a prompt response from poll workers, and a portable, accessible voting system that allows the voter to cast their ballot privately and independently. Virginia must ensure those living with disabilities can participate in elections on the same terms with the same levels of privacy as able-bodied voters. Barriers to accessible voting exist during every election year, but the current COVID-19 pandemic poses additional risks for voters with disabilities and those who are immunocompromised, and the Society supports the additional steps in HB 1921 to mitigate risks for voters with disabilities. We urge support for HB 1921.

During the course of your duties, when considering our (Election Administrators/General Registrars/Directors of Elections) request to finally be paid commensurate with our duties after 29 years of added duties without corresponding compensation, please keep in mind that every election law that is passed adds to our duties. There were over 69 NEW Election laws last year in the midst of a pandemic and the most grueling, contentious election cycle EVER. Every election law passed without funding jeopardizes our ability to get it all done due to lack of resources, staff, funding and time. The loss of any of the experienced, dedicated General Registrars because of compensation is a travesty and is likely to become a reality without the appropriate compensation. Please correct this inequity in compensation THIS SESSION. 1. Adjust compensation brackets in accordance with state studies (2 of them) 2. resume 100% reimbursement of NEW base salary to localities 3. Make it happen THIS session. We have earned it. We are the ones out here taking the abuse as a result of unfounded accusations and insinuations. Please understand that the 133 General Registrars statewide who count votes, compile results, verify results, process absentee by mail ballots, and so much more, do so with bi-partisan observers (sent by local political committees!!) and sworn election officials every.single.step! NOTHING is done in secret. EVERYTHING is reviewed and verified by a three member board (Electoral Board) representing both political parties. These board members are nominated by the local political committees and signed off on by a panel of judges! WE are not the enemy and the more you present laws insinuating that something is shady, the more you erode voter confidence on both sides of the aisle! The fact that a bill has passed the house to ADD SUNDAYS to early voting should be enough reason to pay us appropriately itself. We work 100s and 1000s of hours of overtime yet aren't paid equally and aren't valued equally to our fellow county government counterparts. The longer you ignore this and pass over doing the right thing, the more you send the message to your constituents, candidates, and fellow delegates that elections aren't important to you. NOW is the time to make this right.

Do not give the homosexuals any rights that everyone enjoys. They are not special but are a detriment to society. Please do not give 16 year olds voting privileges. Voting is a God given right that the US Constitution gives to everyone 18 and older. We should not want to lower the standard just so the demorats can get more votes. Do not give black face hypocrite northam more power so he can keep the state bottled up like he has done since March. Open up the state instead of giving him more supposed power. Do not find a constitutional amendment for climate change. All you need to do is go to the mountains of WV and you will see the climate is just fine. Do not regulate guns in polling places. I have a concealed weapons permit but I rarely use it. For people who do, there may be a time when you would wish that someone had a CHP and taken out the bad guy who is assaulting you or worse. Do not

Insure you sign COS and stop with politics!

I urge support of any legislation that makes it easier and safe for citizens to cast their ballots - especially those whose work makes voting a burden. Sunday voting hours will offer opportunity to include more citizens in the franchise.

I wholeheartedly and free of mind and will do attest, as a full citizen, my support of this bill. We need to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact so that the chaos of the 2020 election never happens again given such a clear popular vote winner. We need to stop PSC controlled corporations from contributing to those we vote to protect us from their near monopoly power which requires them to be regulated in the first place. Indeed, we should eliminate corporate contributions to political campaigns; bring campaigns back to the middle! Also, no more spending those campaign dollars on trips to fancy beaches and mountain resorts—that’s not why we give! Let the people vote, no more discrimination of any kind and if we let them drive at 16 they should be able to vote on those laws. If they were convicted of an unjust felonious infraction, such as marijuana possession, they should not have their voting rights abdicated so they can’t vote to overturn the unjust code through voting! And we need to keep our elections free and fair and not allow firearms at the polls to intimidate voters and politicians! I voted against the marriage act because I support the LGBTQ community and also support common law marriage protections for women. We need to amend this unconstitutional and disrespectful portion of our chief document.! We should be a Souls to the Polls state and have Sunday early voting! Absentee ballots should not be considered after-thought tie-breakers. They are legitimate ballots and should be counted as they came in. What happened in Pennsylvania should never happen here! Finally, I wish to state for the record as a citizen from the fastest growing region in the Commonwealth, the region from Reston/Great Falls to Leesburg, I was aghast when I saw of the 64 names legislators chose to send to the judges, not a single one the legislators selected was from this region. This is a major flaw of this Amendment—politicians as gatekeepers! But, we have the amendment and who knows what shenanigans the folks on the board will try. This is why we need fuller transparency with every action the committee takes under public scrutiny. Thank you and I sincerely hope you will pass this bill!

Unite America supports this bill as it will provide greater flexibility for voters to cast their vote. As this is discretionary to the locality, it provides them with the option to offer absentee voting if they so choose. We ask for your support of this bill. Thank you.

Mr Chairman: There are several bills currently being considered by this Committee of interest to the League. The League urges support of the following: HB 2020 Mr. Helmer -Nomination of candidates for elected offices; restrictions on nomination method selected by political party. HB 1921 Ms. Price -Assistance for certain voters; curbside voting. HB 1968 Mr Bagby -Absentee voting; early in person; availability on Sundays. The League urges the committee oppose: HB 2209 Mr. Gilbert Absentee voting; signature match; provisional ballot status. HB 2208 Mr. Runion Absentee ballots; witness requirement; printed name and residence address. Thank you for this opportunity. Respectfully submitted, Lisa Koteen Gerchick on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Virginia

During the course of your duties, when considering our (Election Administrators/General Registrars/Directors of Elections) request to finally be paid commensurate with our duties after 29 years of added duties without corresponding compensation, please keep in mind that every election law that is passed adds to our duties. There were over 69 NEW Election laws last year in the midst of a pandemic and the most grueling, contentious election cycle EVER. Every election law passed without funding jeopardizes our ability to get it all done due to lack of resources, staff, funding and time. The loss of any of the experienced, dedicated General Registrars because of compensation is a travesty and is likely to become a reality without the appropriate compensation. Please correct this inequity in compensation THIS SESSION. 1. Adjust compensation brackets in accordance with state studies (2 of them) 2. resume 100% reimbursement of NEW base salary to localities 3. Make it happen THIS session. We have earned it. We are the ones out here taking the abuse as a result of unfounded accusations and insinuations. Please understand that the 133 General Registrars statewide who count votes, compile results, verify results, process absentee by mail ballots, and so much more, do so with bi-partisan observers (sent by local political committees!!) and sworn election officials every.single.step! NOTHING is done in secret. EVERYTHING is reviewed and verified by a three member board (Electoral Board) representing both political parties. These board members are nominated by the local political committees and signed off on by a panel of judges! WE are not the enemy and the more you present laws insinuating that something is shady, the more you erode voter confidence on both sides of the aisle! The fact that a bill has passed the house to ADD SUNDAYS to early voting should be enough reason to pay us appropriately itself. We work 100s and 1000s of hours of overtime yet aren't paid equally and aren't valued equally to our fellow county government counterparts. The longer you ignore this and pass over doing the right thing, the more you send the message to your constituents, candidates, and fellow delegates that elections aren't important to you. NOW is the time to make this right.

After what happened at the Capitol Building there should be no guns allowed at any polling place. Ban concealed weapons from our polling places. Keep our citizens safe from those who would intimidate voters.

Do not give the homosexuals any rights that everyone enjoys. They are not special but are a detriment to society. Please do not give 16 year olds voting privileges. Voting is a God given right that the US Constitution gives to everyone 18 and older. We should not want to lower the standard just so the demorats can get more votes. Do not give black face hypocrite northam more power so he can keep the state bottled up like he has done since March. Open up the state instead of giving him more supposed power. Do not find a constitutional amendment for climate change. All you need to do is go to the mountains of WV and you will see the climate is just fine. Do not regulate guns in polling places. I have a concealed weapons permit but I rarely use it. For people who do, there may be a time when you would wish that someone had a CHP and taken out the bad guy who is assaulting you or worse. Do not

Concealed Carry off firearms, by its very definition, does not intimidate; rather, it is a means by which to protect our most vulnerable from intimidation. This bill, particularly when taken in its context within the body of work of its sponsor, is nothing more than a step in an incremental march wholly disrespectful of the God-given right to self defense, enshrined and protected in our Constitutions. One ought not be stripped of one Constitutional right to exercise another.

Strongly oppose.

On behalf of Lewinsville Faith in Action I speak in full support of this bill. Voting is both a sacred rite, privilege and the heart of democracy. If people fear voting because of the presence of guns they may well stay home. In the process our democracy is vitiated, citizen involvement reduced and our social fabric weakened.

Since the founding of Virginia, self-made firearms have been legal, and this ban on 80% completed firearms frames would instantly make thousands of law-abiding citizens felons! For those who don't know, an 80% receiver is not considered a firearm under Federal Law, and it is legal to anyone who can own a firearm to purchase one of these receivers and finish it themselves. This is yet another effort by the anti-gun advocates to turn citizens into criminals. Not only that, but by eliminating the sale and possession of 80% receivers, completed or not, this is nothing but a full bore effort for complete and total firearm registration lists. Historically in America and other countries, gun registration lists lead to confiscation lists. Privacy is the number one reason people purchase 80% lower receiver kits. Because the kits are not functional weapons until further tooling, they do not have serial numbers, so they are not registered in any way. And like the 2nd Amendment clearly states, the right to bear arms shall not be infringed!

Insure you sign COS and stop with politics!

There has never been an issue with people carrying at polling places. Not a single incident of violence committed by a lawful gun owner or concealed carry permit holder has been reported at a polling place in the Commonwealth. However, this bill would create yet another advertised Defense Free Zone where someone bent on harming people has the ability to murder many before someone with a gun shows up to stop the bloodshed. I urge you to leave things as they are and let good, law abiding people retain the ability to defend themselves. To do otherwise shows that you do not believe in an individual's right to protect their own life, a glaring deficiency when viewed in light of the oath you took to defend the Constitution of Virginia. Respectfully, Sean O'Donnell

Legal carry at polling places has never been a problem - so don't make it one! There has never been an issue with people carrying at polling places. However, the Levine bill would create yet another advertised Defense Free Zone where someone bent on harming people has the ability to attack before someone with a gun shows up to stop it. Good people follow rules - Bad people do not. I love Virginia, but bills like this are going to create a situation that entices bad people to cause violence, and you just saw what bad people did at the Mall just a few weeks ago. Please don't create the problem where it does not currently exist. Don't fall prey to paranoia. I urge you to leave things as they are and let good, law abiding people retain the ability to defend themselves. Respectfully yours, SSgt Bret Lansdell, USMC

I do not support HB2081 and ask that you do not support it, either. There has never been an issue with people carrying fir4earms at polling places. It would, however, create additional zones where law-abiding citizens are forced to relinquish their right to self-defense. The history and science of this kind of approach are well-established: it tends to draw people with murderous intent. This bill does nothing to improve public safety and arguably makes it worse. I urge you to leave things as they are and let good, law abiding people retain the ability to defend themselves. Respectfully yours, Richard James Loudoun Co. VA

There has never been an issue with people carrying at polling places. However, this bill would create yet another advertised Defense Free Zone where someone bent on harming people has the ability to murder many before someone with a gun shows up to stop the bloodshed. I urge you to leave things as they are and let good, law abiding people retain the ability to defend themselves. The polling place is the last place my stalkers or other criminals should be able to intimidate me. The only way that can be prevented is by leaving me the means to defend myself. Respectfully yours, Kristi Horton

Mr. Levine, There has never been an issue with people carrying at polling places.  However, this bill would create yet another advertised Defense Free Zone where someone bent on harming people has the ability to murder many before someone with a gun shows up to stop the bloodshed.  I urge you to leave things as they are and let good, law abiding people retain the ability to defend themselves. Respectfully yours, Alicia Gloss

There is no need for this law. There is no instances of this being an issue. We should be focused on things that will actually help people not this nonsense that does nothing to promote safety or security.

There has never been an issue with people carrying at polling places.  However, this bill would create yet another advertised Defense Free Zone where someone bent on harming people has the ability to murder many before someone with a gun shows up to stop the bloodshed.  I urge you to leave things as they are and let good, law abiding people retain the ability to defend themselves.

There has never been an issue with people carrying at polling places. However, this bill would create yet another advertised Defense Free Zone where someone bent on harming people has the ability to murder many before someone with a gun shows up to stop the bloodshed. I urge you to leave things as they are and let good, law abiding people retain the ability to defend themselves.

Legal carry at polling places has never been a problem. There has never been an issue with people carrying at polling places. However, this bill would create yet another advertised Defense Free Zone where someone bent on harming people has the ability to murder many before someone with a gun shows up to stop the bloodshed. I urge you to leave things as they are and let good, law abiding people retain the ability to defend themselves. Respectfully yours, Douglas L. Gilbert

Why is there even a need to enact this? There have not been any issues at polling places. I think effort would be better spent strengthening and enforcing existing laws against offenders.

There has never been an issue with people carrying at polling places. However, this bill would create yet another advertised Defense Free Zone where someone bent on harming people has the ability to murder many before someone with a gun shows up to stop the bloodshed. I urge you to leave things as they are and let good, law abiding people retain the ability to defend themselves.

I am writing to state my opposition to HB 2081. This bill seeks to solve a problem that dies not exist, and like too many measures that have not been thought out fully, has the potential to create problems of its own. Citizens who legally carry firearms have never caused a problem at a polling place in Virginia. There is no demonstrated need to restrict legal carry in polling places where it would be otherwise permissible. Banning the legal carry of firearms in these locations only serves to create additional locations in which persons with evil intent know they can go to prey upon defenseless Virginians. Please vote NO on HB 2081.

Subject: Legal carry at polling places has never been a problem There has never been an issue with people carrying at polling places. However, this bill would create yet another advertised Defense Free Zone where someone bent on harming people has the ability to murder many before someone with a gun shows up to stop the bloodshed. I urge you to leave things as they are and let good, law abiding people retain the ability to defend themselves. Respectfully yours, Kevin E Chapman

There has never been an issue with people carrying at polling places. However, this bill would create yet another advertised Defense Free Zone where someone bent on harming people has the ability to murder many before someone with a gun shows up to stop the bloodshed. I urge you to leave things as they are and let good, law abiding people retain the ability to defend themselves. Respectfully yours, Stephen Rouse

There has never been an issue with people carrying at polling places. However, this bill would create yet another advertised Defense Free Zone where someone bent on harming people has the ability to murder many before someone with a gun shows up to stop the bloodshed. I urge you to leave things as they are and let good, law abiding people retain the ability to defend themselves. Respectfully yours, R Clay

Subject: Legal carry at polling places has never been a problem There has never been an issue with people carrying at polling places. However, this bill would create yet another advertised Defense Free Zone where someone bent on harming people has the ability to murder many before someone with a gun shows up to stop the bloodshed. I urge you to leave things as they are and let good, law abiding people retain the ability to defend themselves. Respectfully yours,

If the Commonwealth wants to ban our right to keep and bear arms for self-defense while completing our civic duty to vote then this bill should mandate armed security and metal detectors at every location, and a liability on the state if any injuries result from a firearm related crime. It is also unacceptable to mandate that private property owners who host a polling location must ban firearms from their property. The stated intention to prevent intimidation would not preclude someone from concealed carry, however this bill does. Therefore, it is clear that the real intention of this bill is only to further restrict the lawful right to keep and bear arms from law-abiding citizens. We all know that criminals won't follow the law, so if there is intimidation, or god forbid an attack, then this bill will only be fodder for the aftermath and will not truly prevent any such activity. Additionally, the people's rights do not end where other's feelings begin. If a crime is committed then LEO should be called and the person charged. Brandishing is already a crime, assault & battery is already a crime, and intimidation of a voter is already a crime, however merely carrying a firearm is not a crime and is in fact protected. Regarding the First Amendment, Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 (1989) stated that The Government may not prohibit the verbal or nonverbal expression of an idea merely because society finds the idea offensive or disagreeable, even where our flag is involved. Therefore, the nonverbal display of a holstered firearm, already protected by the Second Amendment, should also be protected speech and allowed in the course of our civic duty to vote. I urge you all to OPPOSE this bill and any further gun control which only further seek to encroach on our Second Amendment and impede the law-abiding citizen's ability to defend him or herself.

The Virginia Shooting Sports Association opposes this bill. There have been no instances where individuals lawfully carrying concealed firearms have cause problems with the election process. This bill is unnecessary and VSSA urges the committee to not report the bill.

There should be no weapons anywhere near Polling Places. People should not be allowed to carry openly or concealed any type of firearms anywhere near Polling Places. People have the right to vote and to vote without fear. People who bring, wear, or display firearms intimidate others whether they intend to do it or not. Please vote to keep Polling Places, those who work there and those who come to vote SAFE and SECURE. NO FIREARMS AT/NEAR POLLING PLACES. Thank you.

Good Morning, I am a voter and a Virginia resident. Please vote YES on HB2081. I have also been a volunteer outside the polls and sometimes people get very upset over politics, which is why it is so important to pass this bill. Voters deserve to have a safe environment to exercise their right to vote free from the threat of armed intimidation. Intimidation tactics have been used in the past against minority groups, in particular, as an attempt to suppress the vote or make voters afraid to exercise their rights to elect candidates of their choice. Please prioritize public safety and vote YES on HB2081. As a member of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America it is important to me to support public safety legislation. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Please protect the general public who are engaged in their civic duty when voting and should not fear intimidation at a public polling location from someone carrying a weapon (even with a permit to carry). There is no place for weapons at poll locations, which could be wielded against certain people and keep them from feeling safe or even from voting altogether.

My name is Ashley and allowing guns at polling places allows voter intimidation. I support this bill to help Virginians have fair elections.

It is abundantly clear that anti-democratic extremism is on the rise in America and in our Commonwealth. Virginians have experienced firsthand the chilling effects of intimidation from armed extremists in Richmond and Charlottesville. What we saw in Richmond last January was an attempt to silence citizens who wanted to participate in democracy. It was a last-ditch attempt by gun extremists to intimidate lawmakers into abandoning what voters elected them to do - pass common sense gun laws. That protest could have been a mass casualty event, if not for the work of the FBI disrupting a plot by neo-Nazis armed with untraceable ghost guns. Thinking about what could have happened if things had gone differently still haunts me. People I care about were working at the Capitol that day. If you’ve ever sent a text like, “I’m worried about your safety, and if anything happens, I want you to know how grateful I am for you,” then you understand what I mean. Prohibiting open carry of weapons in Virginia should have been a priority after the events that unfolded in Charlottesville in 2017. It’s long past time for lawmakers to address the dangerous policy of open carry, a policy that is so obviously exploited by white supremacists attempting to dismantle our democracy. In the absence of such legislation, I’m thankful for Delegate Levine’s bill to prohibit firearms at polling places. My two young children, ages 8 and 4, have gone with me to vote in every election since they were infants. Voting is a foundation of our democracy, and we cannot allow far-right extremists to endanger our democratic institutions by way of armed intimidation and threats of deadly force. Bills like HB2081 are urgently necessary to protect the sanctity of voting.

I'm a VA resident and a Moms Demand Action volunteer as well as a pollworker. I strongly support HB2081 to ban guns in polling places. Guns have no place at polling sites. They intimidate voters and pollworkers alike. Thank you for considering this bill.

My name is Brooke and I'm a resident of Alexandria in Fairfax County. I strongly support a law banning all firearms, including concealed carry, within a certain distance of polling places in Virginia. After what we saw this past November at polling sites, in particular those where early voting took place, we cannot tolerate armed intimidation of voters. Virginia's voter protection laws need to be strengthened in general, but this is a good place to start, since armed intimidation is unconstitutional and threatens the safety and well-being not only of our electorate, but of those who serve as poll workers, election officials, and volunteers at these sites.

I’m a Virginia resident and Moms Demand Action volunteer. I’m urging support for HR2081-Levine, which bans firearms at polling place. Such armed intimidation is dangerous and a threat to democracy.

I wholeheartedly and free of mind and will do attest, as a full citizen, my support of this bill. We need to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact so that the chaos of the 2020 election never happens again given such a clear popular vote winner. We need to stop PSC controlled corporations from contributing to those we vote to protect us from their near monopoly power which requires them to be regulated in the first place. Indeed, we should eliminate corporate contributions to political campaigns; bring campaigns back to the middle! Also, no more spending those campaign dollars on trips to fancy beaches and mountain resorts—that’s not why we give! Let the people vote, no more discrimination of any kind and if we let them drive at 16 they should be able to vote on those laws. If they were convicted of an unjust felonious infraction, such as marijuana possession, they should not have their voting rights abdicated so they can’t vote to overturn the unjust code through voting! And we need to keep our elections free and fair and not allow firearms at the polls to intimidate voters and politicians! I voted against the marriage act because I support the LGBTQ community and also support common law marriage protections for women. We need to amend this unconstitutional and disrespectful portion of our chief document.! We should be a Souls to the Polls state and have Sunday early voting! Absentee ballots should not be considered after-thought tie-breakers. They are legitimate ballots and should be counted as they came in. What happened in Pennsylvania should never happen here! Finally, I wish to state for the record as a citizen from the fastest growing region in the Commonwealth, the region from Reston/Great Falls to Leesburg, I was aghast when I saw of the 64 names legislators chose to send to the judges, not a single one the legislators selected was from this region. This is a major flaw of this Amendment—politicians as gatekeepers! But, we have the amendment and who knows what shenanigans the folks on the board will try. This is why we need fuller transparency with every action the committee takes under public scrutiny. Thank you and I sincerely hope you will pass this bill!

Following the armed intimidation of lawmakers during session last year in Richmond, and the white supremacist riot in the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, it could not be more clear that armed extremists threaten our safety and our democracy. Legislators must act now to prohibit open carry in our state, and at minimum protect the places vital to our democracy like polling places and our state capitol.

During the course of your duties, when considering our (Election Administrators/General Registrars/Directors of Elections) request to finally be paid commensurate with our duties after 29 years of added duties without corresponding compensation, please keep in mind that every election law that is passed adds to our duties. There were over 69 NEW Election laws last year in the midst of a pandemic and the most grueling, contentious election cycle EVER. Every election law passed without funding jeopardizes our ability to get it all done due to lack of resources, staff, funding and time. The loss of any of the experienced, dedicated General Registrars because of compensation is a travesty and is likely to become a reality without the appropriate compensation. Please correct this inequity in compensation THIS SESSION. 1. Adjust compensation brackets in accordance with state studies (2 of them) 2. resume 100% reimbursement of NEW base salary to localities 3. Make it happen THIS session. We have earned it. We are the ones out here taking the abuse as a result of unfounded accusations and insinuations. Please understand that the 133 General Registrars statewide who count votes, compile results, verify results, process absentee by mail ballots, and so much more, do so with bi-partisan observers (sent by local political committees!!) and sworn election officials every.single.step! NOTHING is done in secret. EVERYTHING is reviewed and verified by a three member board (Electoral Board) representing both political parties. These board members are nominated by the local political committees and signed off on by a panel of judges! WE are not the enemy and the more you present laws insinuating that something is shady, the more you erode voter confidence on both sides of the aisle! The fact that a bill has passed the house to ADD SUNDAYS to early voting should be enough reason to pay us appropriately itself. We work 100s and 1000s of hours of overtime yet aren't paid equally and aren't valued equally to our fellow county government counterparts. The longer you ignore this and pass over doing the right thing, the more you send the message to your constituents, candidates, and fellow delegates that elections aren't important to you. NOW is the time to make this right.

Insure you sign COS and stop with politics!

During the course of your duties, when considering our (Election Administrators/General Registrars/Directors of Elections) request to finally be paid commensurate with our duties after 29 years of added duties without corresponding compensation, please keep in mind that every election law that is passed adds to our duties. There were over 69 NEW Election laws last year in the midst of a pandemic and the most grueling, contentious election cycle EVER. Every election law passed without funding jeopardizes our ability to get it all done due to lack of resources, staff, funding and time. The loss of any of the experienced, dedicated General Registrars because of compensation is a travesty and is likely to become a reality without the appropriate compensation. Please correct this inequity in compensation THIS SESSION. 1. Adjust compensation brackets in accordance with state studies (2 of them) 2. resume 100% reimbursement of NEW base salary to localities 3. Make it happen THIS session. We have earned it. We are the ones out here taking the abuse as a result of unfounded accusations and insinuations. Please understand that the 133 General Registrars statewide who count votes, compile results, verify results, process absentee by mail ballots, and so much more, do so with bi-partisan observers (sent by local political committees!!) and sworn election officials every.single.step! NOTHING is done in secret. EVERYTHING is reviewed and verified by a three member board (Electoral Board) representing both political parties. These board members are nominated by the local political committees and signed off on by a panel of judges! WE are not the enemy and the more you present laws insinuating that something is shady, the more you erode voter confidence on both sides of the aisle! The fact that a bill has passed the house to ADD SUNDAYS to early voting should be enough reason to pay us appropriately itself. We work 100s and 1000s of hours of overtime yet aren't paid equally and aren't valued equally to our fellow county government counterparts. The longer you ignore this and pass over doing the right thing, the more you send the message to your constituents, candidates, and fellow delegates that elections aren't important to you. NOW is the time to make this right.

Insure you sign COS and stop with politics!

I would make some changes to our election process. -rigid background checks for candidates BEFORE they run -any qualified person can run regardless of money backing them -elections should be a PUBLIC SERVICE requiring NO huge financial backing (that would eliminate big corporations, tech, media, etc., and include the average American who can not PAY for a candidate) that encourages puppets in government -campaigning on TV and in public should be free and volunteers working for candidates

My name is Laura Sonnenmark and I am from the Mount Vernon District of Fairfax County. I have been an election officer for both E-Day and the Early Voting (In-Person Absentee) period since 2012, working all general and primary (Republican and Democratic) elections. As an election officer, I am often assigned to curbside voting. It is a task I gladly undertake, as I want to help voters in any way I can to exercise their right to vote. However, allowing voters to have both curbside voting AND walking into the polling location to put their ballots in the scanner seems problematical to me. While we should make every accomodation to serve voters who need curbside voting, this smacks of "eating your cake and having it, too." I am concerned people would use this law to "jump the line," particularly during a busy election. I hope these concerns will be addressed. Thank you.