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.

Mr Chairman Member of the House Privileges and Elections Committee: On behalf of Sierra Club - Virginia Chapter, I'd like to express our positions on three of the bills you have before you today. SUPPORT HB1952 (Simon) Campaign finance; prohibited personal use, child care exception - This fix to Virginia's campaign finance law is critical to upgrading the integrity and the public's perception of our campaign finance system. However, the child care exception makes good sense. SUPPORT HB1890 (Price) Discrimination, prohibited in voting and elections administration - With Virginia's long history of voter suppression, this legislation is an important means of insuring that such abuses do not continue into the future. The public notice requirements and the review of the Virginia's Attorney General's office would provide needed scrutiny of changes, such as precinct locations, etc, that could discriminate against communities of color and other protected classes of voters. SUPPORT HB2125 (Lopez) Voter registration; preregistration for persons 16 years of age or older - Research shows that the earlier citizens begin to vote, the more likely they are to be regular voters. Allowing 16 year olds to pre-register serves as an important citizenship lesson that can be incorporated into our high schools' social studies curriculum. Thank you, Glen Besa for the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter

LatinoJustice PRLDEF (“LatinoJustice”) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan civil rights organization working to empower the Latino community in the areas of education, voting rights, immigrant rights, economic justice, and criminal justice reform through litigation, advocacy, and education. One of our core focus issues is enforcement of language access provisions under the Voting Rights Act (VRA), which are enforceable in Virginia independent of state law. The VRA has three language access provisions—Section 203, Section 208, and Section 4(e). While we are pleased to see that HB 1890 recognizes the protections for language minority voters under Section 203 we urge an amendment to this bill to similarly recognize the protections for language minority voters under Section 4(e) and Section 208 of the VRA. Section 4(e) states that: “Congress hereby declares that to secure the rights under the fourteenth amendment of persons educated in American-flag schools in which the predominant classroom language was other than English, it is necessary to prohibit the States from conditioning the right to vote of such persons on ability to read, write, understand, or interpret any matter in the English language.” 52 U.S.C. § 10303(e). Under this law, voters educated in Puerto Rico with limited English proficiency have a right to Spanish-language ballots, voter registration services, other election materials, and as well as assistance from bilingual poll workers. Section 208 of the VRA provides for voters who need assistance to vote by reason of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write. Under this law, language minority voters may choose a person to translate for them at the polls. In order to capture the VRA’s language access protections in this bill, we urge the legislature to include the provisions of Section 4(e) and Section 208 and stand committed to assisting to reach full compliance with the language access provisions of the VRA. Thank you.

The Virginia Education Association supports this bill. Ensuring that all voters can have full access to choosing their elected officials is necessary for high quality public schools for all students.

Only property/land owners should be able to vote in future elections. They pay more in taxes and therefore deserve more say so in elections. I'm not a land owner and would no longer be able to vote. So why should be able to vote to raise taxes when it doesn't effect me?

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

Please support Delegate Price’s bill HB 1890 The Voting Rights Act of Virginia!! It is about time!!

On behalf of the essential Home Care and Public Service workers of SEIU Virginia 512, I write in support of HB 1890, Delegate Price's Voting Rights Act of Virginia. We can not have an economy that works for everyone if we do not have a democracy that works for everyone. Working families deserve and need the right to fully participate in the democratic process. For these reasons and more, we enthusiastically support HB 1890. Thank you.

Fair Elections Center Testimony in Support of HB 1890 Virginia House Privileges and Elections Committee - Voting Rights Subcommittee Friday, January 22, 2021 Fair Elections Center supports moving HB 1890 forward because this bill would prevent racially discriminatory laws and practices from going into effect, making voting more fair and accessible. Fair Elections Center is a national, nonpartisan voting rights and election reform organization which works to remove barriers to registration and voting for traditionally underrepresented constituencies. Formed in 2017 to continue the work of the Fair Elections Legal Network, the Center works to improve election administration through legislative, legal and administrative reform, to protect access to the ballot through litigation, and to provide election law expertise, voter information and technical assistance to voter mobilization organizations. HB 1890 would establish preclearance for certain covered election-related practices. Preclearance is particularly important as a tool to end racial discrimination in voting because it stops discriminatory practices before they go into effect. Currently, unless such practices are stopped usually through litigation including a preliminary injunction motion, elections occur with these practices in place and they may continue to harm electoral participation for years before a case is resolved. Under a preclearance system, however, such practices cannot go into effect if determined to be discriminatory, and elections they would otherwise affect are not continually tainted with discrimination. Every voter in our democracy should have the same opportunity to participate free from discrimination, and a preclearance system would help make that vision a reality. While Fair Elections Center also supports reauthorization of the federal Voting Rights Act preclearance coverage formula following the 2013 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder, regardless of federal action and related federal court decisions, Virginia must not allow discriminatory practices to harm its voters and democracy in the Commonwealth. This is particularly crucial at the local level where potential discriminatory changes tend to be less visible and transparent than highly visible state policies. Fair Elections Center urges you to move this bill forward. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact Michelle Kanter Cohen, Senior Counsel, Fair Elections Center, (202) 331-0114, mkantercohen@fairelectionscenter.org.

I support HB 1890 Discrimination; prohibited in voting and elections administration, etc. In the year 2021, what a stain on our state to think we need specific legislation to protect minority voters -- but we do. The aggressive voter suppression activities, following ALEC guidelines, enacted in Virginia during the GOP legislative era makes it necessary. I support, endorse, and will fight for a free and equal electorate open to all. This bill starts out with "prohibits any voting qualification or any standard, practice, or procedure related to voting from being imposed or applied in a manner that results in the denial or abridgment of the right of any United States citizen to vote based on his race or color or membership in a language minority group." This is necessary, sad but necessary. Democracy is only as strong as the rules that bind it.

In 1902, the General Assembly passed a Constitution which substantially disenfranchised almost all of the Black residents of this Commonwealth. At the same time, it disenfranchised many poor white voters including many here in SW Virginia. This Bill is critical to giving a remedy to those voters who continue to have their voting rights infringed. Equitable voting laws are necessary to provide adequate representation to all of our residents. The last election was remarkable for the ease of access for all voters, and we should work to remove as many of the stains from our past and present history of voter suppression.

Please restore voting rights to formerly incarcerated people with felonies .

I strongly support HB1890. We should do everything we can in Virginia to expand and protect voter rights. The last national election, in which the President and his allies attempted to undermine results and throw out votes, particularly from people of color, reveal just how needed this piece of legislation is. Let Virginia become a leader in protecting everyone's right to vote.

I support Del. Price’s HB1890. Photo ID laws exist to disenfranchise the less well off who often dont have a drivers license of ID card and use public transit. Identifying voters is important but that can be done with a simple name and address document like an electric bill. Further, if photographic evidence is required, let it be on the Commonwealth to ensure the registrar has citizen photos rather than the citizen requiring a photo ID. Most of all, a photo ID not provided for by the Commonwealth is simply a form of, albeit minimal, poll tax. I support Del. Levine’s HB2082. Yesterday, I attended the first meeting of the Redistricting Board. I am concerned that this meeting was not live-streamed to Facebook and/or YouTube, and that the process had so little scrutiny. I’m more disturbed that the chat feature that the public can use was subsequently disabled and someone was barred from submitting commentary because of technical difficulties. Finally, I think all chat and questions for the committee should be added to the public record. There is much to improve in the Redistricting process, and thus bill goes a long way to make it better.

Dear Chair Price and members of the Voting Rights Subcommittee: Advancement Project is a next generation, multi-racial civil rights organization working to fulfill America’s promise of a caring, inclusive, and just democracy. As a proud Virginian born and raised, I provide these comments in support of HB 1890 on behalf of Advancement Project’s National Office. We are proud to have worked with partners like New Virginia Majority, the Virginia Civic Engagement Table, and others through the years to protect and advance voting rights in the Commonwealth. We have advocated rights restoration since 2003; in 2008, we sued on behalf of the Virginia NAACP for equitable distribution of voting machines; last year, we sued alongside multiple partners to extend the registration deadline after ELECT’s online voter registration outage. The resulting extension allowed 24,000 Virginians to register in time for the November election. Based on our experience and expertise in advancing voting rights in Virginia, we respectfully request that you approve this legislation for the following reasons. Analysis of HB 1890: Restoring Crucial Oversight, Empowering Voters Democracy only works when we all have a voice. One thing we have learned in our voter protection work at Advancement Project is that discriminatory voting measures and practices cannot be effectively challenged after the fact. A lost vote can never be reclaimed, and the collective wounding of lost votes leaves a lasting scar on democracy for generations. Preclearance stops regressive changes before they inflict those scars. We know this because federal preclearance under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 worked. In Virginia, federal preclearance impacted dozens of voting changes for the better. What is more, as local governments subject to preclearance have said before, “Any burden in developing a submission for preclearance is de minimis relative to the work already required for any voting change.” That burden, light though it is, must rest first on those in authority over elections to ensure that voting changes do not turn back progress or disenfranchise Virginians. We live almost a decade removed from the U.S. Supreme Court’s disastrous Shelby County v. Holder decision, which struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and ended federal preclearance as we knew it. Preclearance aside, federal voting rights enforcement generally has dwindled in recent years. We cannot passively rely on the federal government to protect Virginians’ voting rights. We need a Voting Rights Act of Virginia. Beyond establishing badly needed oversight of voting changes, this legislation also grants voters the power to stand up for themselves and make their voices clearly heard in several additional important ways: giving voters the right to sue when faced with intimidation, expanding access to interpreters and language-accessible voting materials, and ensuring that each step of the voting process is free from malicious interference. Conclusion HB 1890 would restore crucial oversight and empower Virginia voters to stand up for themselves and their voices. And in a richly diverse Commonwealth, this bill ensures that all our communities are on equal footing in our democratic process. We urge the Subcommittee to approve this bill. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me at junger@advancementproject.org, or (202) 728-9557.

Chair Price and members of the committee, my name is Donald Craig. I am the cochair of the Voter Access Committee of the League of Women Voters of Virginia, which has 14 Local Leagues, and members throughout Virginia. The League supports HB1890. The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy. In Virginia, decades of disenfranchisement of Black and Brown voters reverberate to this day. We owe it to future generations to remove barriers to voting. When the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013, many states moved quickly to pass discriminatory voting laws, such as overinclusive voter roll purges and burdensome ID laws. Until and unless the Voting Rights Act is restored, we need a way to ensure new elections laws and practices will not negatively impact the rights of minority group members to vote. As a substitute for the federal protections that were stripped away, we ask you to cosponsor and pass SB1395. This bill is important to address a hole that has opened in voter protections, and we support the bill.

The Virginia Education Association (VEA) supports HB 1890 and we ask the committee to favorably report HB 1890. Thank you.

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!

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.

I support HB1952 because I listened to the discussion at the subcommittee and found it convincing.

Mr Chairman Member of the House Privileges and Elections Committee: On behalf of Sierra Club - Virginia Chapter, I'd like to express our positions on three of the bills you have before you today. SUPPORT HB1952 (Simon) Campaign finance; prohibited personal use, child care exception - This fix to Virginia's campaign finance law is critical to upgrading the integrity and the public's perception of our campaign finance system. However, the child care exception makes good sense. SUPPORT HB1890 (Price) Discrimination, prohibited in voting and elections administration - With Virginia's long history of voter suppression, this legislation is an important means of insuring that such abuses do not continue into the future. The public notice requirements and the review of the Virginia's Attorney General's office would provide needed scrutiny of changes, such as precinct locations, etc, that could discriminate against communities of color and other protected classes of voters. SUPPORT HB2125 (Lopez) Voter registration; preregistration for persons 16 years of age or older - Research shows that the earlier citizens begin to vote, the more likely they are to be regular voters. Allowing 16 year olds to pre-register serves as an important citizenship lesson that can be incorporated into our high schools' social studies curriculum. Thank you, Glen Besa for the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter

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

HB1952 should be the easiest bill to pass this session. Almost every state and the federal government don't allow personal use of campaign funds. There are obvious reasons for this. First, public confidence is critical for free and fair elections. According to a Pew poll, 17% of Americans nationwide lack trust in their government. Letting candidates spend donors' hard-earned money on their personal life only hurts that perception. Second, the Supreme Court has narrowed the definition of campaign finance regulations to laws preventing quid pro quo corruption (or the appearance of quid pro quo corruption). Without passing this bill, individual and corporate funders alike are able to pad the personal pockets of legislators with legal impunity. This is the definition of quid pro quo corruption. Virginians have a right to be assured by statute that their elected officials are good stewards of their treasure and their trust. Even if not a single legislator has to change their behavior as a result of passage, Virginians will have more reason to trust the system and their legislators.

We urgently need campaign finance reform. That's why I support HB 1956, HB 1902 and HB1952. Sincerely, Donna Fisher

Sierra Club Virginia Chapter wishes to express its support for HB1756 and HB1952. We had not had an opportunity to take a position on HB1906 before this hearing. Good environmental policy often impacts industry, for example, requiring reductions in pollution or the expanded use of renewable energy. These same industries are often large campaign contributors with a major lobbying presence to influence the outcome of bills that impact that industry. HB1756, by prohibiting campaign contributions from public service corporations, would address the particularly troublesome reality of contributions from industries regulated by the state including electric utilities and telecom companies, for example. HB1952 prohibits the use of campaign contributions for personal use with the exception of childcare costs related to campaigning. With the unlimited campaign contributions permitted in Virginia, rightly or wrongly, citizens may infer that larger campaign contributions not used during the campaign and available for personal use may exert undue influence on a legislator voting on legislation impacting that campaign donor. In each instance, there is at least the appearance of a conflict of interest. For these reasons, we urge your support of HB1756 and HB1952. Thank you. Sierra Club Virginia Chapter

I encourage my members to support HB 1756, HB 1906 and HB 1952.

I am writing in support of the following campaign finance related bills: SB1233 - HB1952 - HB 1756 - SB1236 - HB1906 - HR526. Per the Constitution of United States of America, corporations whether a public service company or otherwise are NOT people and their contributions to candidates running for public office need to be banned. Dominion MUST refund ratepayers their money that it has overcharged. In a 2018 poll, 88 percent of Americans – including 84 percent of Republicans, 92 percent of Democrats, and 86 percent of Independents agreed that it is important to “reduce or counterbalance the influence of big campaign donors  – including special interests, corporations and wealthy people.  Meanwhile, 85% of business leaders believe that our campaign finance system is broken and action needs to be taken to repair it.  Thanks to all the committee members for siding with the people.

The peons here are tired of being run by VEPCO and other big interests instead of being govt. of, by, and for the people. Stop telling us you care for us and start acting like it.

Good candidates are going right down the drain because of bad candidates who get big bucks from big powerful people or companies and then they're beholden to them once in office. You wonder why you hear so much cynicism about the government from the guy on the street? or on Facebook? It's because there's no fairness in financing campaigns, so there's no fairness in campaigning. The only ones who can reform this is you, the legislators. PLEASE support HB1756, 1906 and 1952.

I urge members to support HB1756, HB1906, and HB1952. We need to end the obscene amount of spending on elections and it is high time that Virginia joins other states in getting BIG MONEY and DARK MONEY out of politics.

HB1756 and 1906 - As a resident of Caroline County, who recently relocated from Prince William County, the monopolistic control of broadband by a few companies who have contributed significant campaign donations to both parties has seriously impeded the economic development of my community. Thanks to their control, I have one choice for internet service provider, a satellite internet company headquartered in Maryland. They provide Internet and phone connections, but I cannot use the phone to call internationally or receive international calls which is necessary for the consulting business that I run from my home. Further, if I want hardline phone service, I have one choice, Verizon, but I cannot use their service to connect to the Internet because dial-up modem's are no longer technically capable of connecting to digital internet services. Finally, if I want to have TV service, that is a third company which provides neither phone service nor internet connection and requires a separate satellite dish. However, the issue with satellite internet is not just the cost, but the quality of the service. I am constantly having to shut off my camera on Zoom calls because the connection is so bad. Further, it is difficult for me to participate in a meeting because there is a lag in the time that I speak and when the person on the other end hears my input. Finally, if there is a rainstorm or a strong wind, the satellite dish cannot connect. As a result, I lost the equivalent of three full weeks worth of business because the satellite and phone connection was down this past year. Even the cellular service is poor or non-existent and it is the same for any company that provides the service whether it is AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile. In order to have three bars on my phone inside my home, I had to purchase a cell site booster, without which I could not even make 911 calls. In short, all of these services cost several hundred dollars per month which I have to pay to run my business. But my community is filled with farmers and laborers, many of them cannot pay for these services. And there are no wi-fi hotspots within 20 miles of my community. In short, the corporations who provide an essential service should not have greater access to a legislature through campaign donations than citizens like me. We should be able to band together and collectively negotiate the services we receive and there should be free market choices. Competitive markets for broadband services and other public services exist in a number of states and what all of those states have in common is that they ban direct corporate donations to candidates. The millions of dollars that are spent on campaign donations in Virginia by these companies and others are money that is not being spent on building infrastructure for rural communities like mine. As a citizen of this state, I am concerned that campaign contributions by these corporations are considered the means that justify the ends. It is time to end the Virginia Way and level the playing field for campaign donations by banning direct corporate donations to candidates like they have done in 22 states. HB1952 - I support this bill. No other state allows the use of campaign financing to pay personal expenses. It should not be allowed in Virginia. I am asking that all of these bills be passed to the full committee for a vote. It is time that Virginia joins 45 other states in regulating campaign donations.

I'm writing to ask you to support HB 1756, 1906, and 1952. Big campaign donors--whether corporations, regulated utilities, or wealthy individuals,--create a non-democracy where political power is dictated by economic power. The will of the people is then usurped by individuals or entities with deep pockets. Unfortunately, their interests often undermine the public interest, as can readily be seen in the case of climate change where a network of fossil fuel interests for decades used private economic power to block and delay meaningful climate action. The somewhat simple and straightforward decision to reduce private economic influence in the form of campaign contributions will have an enormous impact on how our state's democracy functions. Thank you.

I support all three bills. I support Samirah’s HB1756. Who watched the watchmen? That’s what this is all about. I have faith in our esteemed Delegates and Senators that they’re not intensionally taking money from Dominion and then letting Dominion overcharge customers. I have faith that none if you are taking money from Verizon and writing broadband legislation that give the Verizon exclude power to overcharge and ignore the hard-to-reach. I don’t wish to impugn any of you. I’m only asking you to stop taking money from the corporations controlled by the State Corporation Commission; this should be illegal because you may not be corrupted by that money, but taking it sure makes you look like you are. I support Simon’s HB1952. I just donated to the Jennifer Carroll-Foy for Governor. I gave her campaign money, expecting her to use it to buy ads on social media, to put out messages on broadcast media, to hire campaign workers, and to support text, phone and foot canvassing. I do not expect her to be using it to take her family to Paris. If she goes to Paris, c’est bonne, I’d be happy to tell her what to see as I used to live in the city of light, don’t use my campaign contribution for it! That should be on her own dime. But it can be! Nothing illegal about that. Simon’s Bill would fix this flagrant loophole. I support Carter’s HB1906. Corporations are not people. And for-profit Corporations are even less like individuals. It may seem preventing for-profit contributions from corporations from making Campaign Contributions would be unconstitutional, but the truth is, Carter’s bill is *not* unconstitutional. The federal government has laws fining contribution above a certain limit. Many states do to. But in Virginia, it’s a free-for-all. It’s one of the major reasons Virginia ranks 45 out of 50 in terms of keeping money out of politics. This is why I support these three bills!

Regarding HB1952 - Simon - Campaign finance; prohibited personal use, child care exception, I urge you to move this bill forward for a vote in the General Assembly and to fully support it. Virginia is the only state in the country that allows unlimited use of campaign contributions. Legislators shouldn’t be able to spend their campaign contributions on vacations, school tuition, mortgages, or investments in LLCs. Child care expenses incurred as a direct result of campaign activity would be allowed. Rather than campaign finance reform, passing this bill would simply result in good, ethical practices for Virginia legislators. It is a basic bottom line. I urge you to fully support HB1952 so that it comes to a vote in the General Assembly, and to vote in favor of it.

We want VA to join other states in committing to get "Big Money" out of politics!

I want VA to join other states in committing to get Big Money out of politics.

I encourage our members to support HB 1956, HB 1902 and HB1952.

I/we would like ALL Members to support the following Bills 1. HB 1756 2. HB 1906 and 3. HB 1952 It is well past time to get "BIG MONEY" out of Virginia Politics. We Progressives are tired of living in a "Pay to Play" State The Good Ol' "Virginia Way" has had its day. Its time for a New Dawn! SUPPORT CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM - NOW!!!

I encourage our members to support HB 1956, HB 1902. HB 1746 and HB1952

I support this bill because Virginia, known as a "Pay-to-Play" state, is one of only 5 states with no campaign finance limitations. It is particularly egregious that it is the only state in the country that allows unrestricted use of those campaign contributions. Legislators shouldn’t be able to spend their campaign contributions on vacations, school tuition, mortgages, haircuts, nor investments in LLCs. There have been many media accounts of "improper" use of campaign contributions and this contributes to voters feeling that our Government doesn't work for citizens but only for the wealthy and special interests. It also contributes to Virginia's low marks in the recently released SWAMP index where Virginia was ranked 46 out of 50 states due to low transparency, the lack of a code of ethics, and the absence of functioning ethics agencies which have monitoring and investigative powers. This lack of a code of ethics, including the lack of restriction on use of campaign donations results in a "quid pro quo" perception of bribery. We’re delighted that this bill finally is putting restrictions on use, while being progressive in terms of identifying those expenses which facilitate participation in campaigning for office, such as child care, etc. This facilitates young and more diverse candidates to run for office. This bill is the right thing to do and a very very low hanging fruit. But this is not to be considered campaign finance reform, just good ethics. The hard lifting of implementing comprehensive campaign finance and ethics reform entails a broader legislative package which encompasses limitations on contributions, a disclosure bill which tracks money coming from independent spending, including on-line ads, the establishment of an single ethics enforcement which has investigatory powers, monitoring and enforcement capacity for violations of strict laws on conduct.

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!

I fully support all 3 of these bills as important steps towards an electoral system that ensures the voices of ordinary citizens are not drowned out by corporate interests and wealth. I enthusiastically encourage the P & E committee to approve these bills and bring us closer to a democracy representative of the people.

Virginia is one of only five states that do not regulate money in politics and is the only state that allows such money to be used for personal expenses. It is past time for this to change. Corporations should not be able to give unlimited amounts of money to candidates for the General Assembly, especially those public service corporations granted special status by the General Assembly. This creates a conflict of interest and the public perception of corruption. The Virginia Way must not continue to be pay to play.

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

Unite America supports this bill as we believe that active duty military, citizens living overseas, students, and disabled members of our community should be able to participate in their parties nominating process. Several other states already facilitate participation for military in their party nominating process and we believe Virginia should join them. We ask for your support on 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

OPPOSE - 16 year olds are minors, children, and they are not able to make adult decisions, which is why we have age limits on driving, tobacco, marriage, alcohol, sex, military service and VOTING, just to name a few. There is no reason to pre-register them, they can register when they become 18 years of age like the rest of us. There is no good reason to lower the age of voting. This is clearly just a push in the direction of eventually lowering the voting age. I strongly oppose this bill and request that voter registration stay at 18 years of age.

HB1933 - The National Popular Vote Compact and its House Bill 1933 version would violate the VA Constitution, the US Constitution, and our amending process . On these grounds, this bill ought to be defeated and our participation in the Electoral College system maintained. HB2125 - This legislation can introduce administrative glut and misrepresentation of records of those who are eligible to vote and who are not. This legislation should be defeated on the grounds of it adds a roadblock to streamlining government administrative operations and upholding the responsibility of the individual to register when he is eligible. HJ539 - Court cases and their decisions affect those to whom they apply in the case not outside of it. If the alleged implications of the case need apply, request the justices to come to VA and enforce these alleged implications. On these grounds, the amendment should be rejected.

I'm not sure why there is a "push" to pre-register 16 years old to Vote in the Commonwealth of Virginia. I am the father of (3) Children; all whom attended Fairfax County Public Schools. At the age of 16, they were more interested in mastering the "art" of driving; spending time with friends; being involved in athletics; church - youth groups; "hanging out with their friends and classmates; and just being a "kid." They have their entire adult life to VOTE. At the age of 18, they become an adult; why are we asking for our children (teens) to make adult decisions at 16 and become part of the divisiveness that we are experiencing regarding politics. The right to vote is sacred; I have been voting since I was 18 years old myself. Over the years, I have taken my children to our polling place to allow them to watch me vote and exercise this duty as a citizen. I just don't believe we need to amend our laws in 2021 to allow the pre-registration of 16 year old teens that should be focused on "other things in life" than politics. Why not focus on our education; college visits; trade school visits and explore who they want to be and "what they want to be..." I do not support this bill and I hope other Virginians don't as well. I hope the General Assembly does the "right thing" and allows are 16 and 17 years olds to enjoy their Teens.

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

Mr Chairman Member of the House Privileges and Elections Committee: On behalf of Sierra Club - Virginia Chapter, I'd like to express our positions on three of the bills you have before you today. SUPPORT HB1952 (Simon) Campaign finance; prohibited personal use, child care exception - This fix to Virginia's campaign finance law is critical to upgrading the integrity and the public's perception of our campaign finance system. However, the child care exception makes good sense. SUPPORT HB1890 (Price) Discrimination, prohibited in voting and elections administration - With Virginia's long history of voter suppression, this legislation is an important means of insuring that such abuses do not continue into the future. The public notice requirements and the review of the Virginia's Attorney General's office would provide needed scrutiny of changes, such as precinct locations, etc, that could discriminate against communities of color and other protected classes of voters. SUPPORT HB2125 (Lopez) Voter registration; preregistration for persons 16 years of age or older - Research shows that the earlier citizens begin to vote, the more likely they are to be regular voters. Allowing 16 year olds to pre-register serves as an important citizenship lesson that can be incorporated into our high schools' social studies curriculum. Thank you, Glen Besa for the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter

Fair Elections Center supports HB 2025 because this bill would make voting more accessible, especially for young voters. Fair Elections Center is a national, nonpartisan voting rights and election reform organization which works to remove barriers to registration and voting for traditionally underrepresented constituencies. Formed in 2017 to continue the work of the Fair Elections Legal Network, the Center works to improve election administration through legislative, legal and administrative reform, to protect access to the ballot through litigation, and to provide election law expertise, voter information and technical assistance to voter mobilization organizations. In 2012, Fair Elections Center launched its Campus Vote Project (CVP) to expand its work around student voting issues. CVP works with universities, community colleges, faculty, students and election officials to reduce barriers to student voting, and institutionalize civic engagement at our partner institutions. HB 2025 would establish pre-registration for 16- and 17-year olds. Expanding voter registration to include preregistration for young voters prepares them for voting when they turn 18, automatically registers them as voters, gets them on the list to receive information from election officials, and makes updates more efficient. Preregistration at this age aligns with these citizens’ initial interactions with the department of motor vehicles and facilitates voter registration efforts in high schools. These are two of the best opportunities to provide voter registration services to this population in a centralized and coordinated way before they disperse to join the workforce or enroll at a college or university. Fair Elections Center urges you to move this bill forward. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact Michelle Kanter Cohen, Senior Counsel, Fair Elections Center, (202) 331-0114, mkantercohen@fairelectionscenter.org.

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!

HB1933. A ridiculous idea. DONOT DISENFRANCHISE my VOTE and ALL Virginia citizens' votes. I OPPOSE! HB1869, HB1872, HB 1888. NO "voting by mail" other than a citizen's request from his or her county/city where one is legally registered to VOTE. HB2125, HJ551. Another ridiculous idea...NO to 16 year old voting, they are CHILDREN. 18 years old is bad enough in a vast majority of cases.

A young person at 16 is hardly able to make good decisions on their own. That is why they cannot sign a contract as a juvenile. They cannot buy alcohol as a juvenile. They cannot join the US military as a juvenile. As a juvenile, they need their parents permission to hold a job and to marry. Are you kidding about giving the right to vote to juveniles? Please do not support HJ551.

PLEASE do not give away the votes of VA residents to the more populus states. I want the Electorial College, which was created to even out the playing field among the states, to be maintained. The NPV will allow only a few states to select our elected officials. That's unfair to the states with smaller populations which may feel much differently about issues or candidates under consideration than the few highly populated states. Please oppise HB 1933.

Re HB2081 - I am a survivor of the VB Municipal shooting of 5/31/19. I also routinely work polling places during elections. As a semi-public figure I have received threats and feel a need to carry a firearm to protect myself. This proposal only serves to disarm those who need an adequate defense and will do nothing to make anyone, including myself, safer. 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, Vincent Smith

Fair Elections Center supports HB 2125 because this bill would make voting more accessible, especially for young voters. Fair Elections Center is a national, nonpartisan voting rights and election reform organization which works to remove barriers to registration and voting for traditionally underrepresented constituencies. Formed in 2017 to continue the work of the Fair Elections Legal Network, the Center works to improve election administration through legislative, legal and administrative reform, to protect access to the ballot through litigation, and to provide election law expertise, voter information and technical assistance to voter mobilization organizations. In 2012, Fair Elections Center launched its Campus Vote Project (CVP) to expand its work around student voting issues. CVP works with universities, community colleges, faculty, students and election officials to reduce barriers to student voting, and institutionalize civic engagement at our partner institutions. HB 2125 would establish pre-registration for 16- and 17-year olds. Expanding voter registration to include preregistration for young voters prepares them for voting when they turn 18, automatically registers them as voters, gets them on the list to receive information from election officials, and makes updates more efficient. Preregistration at this age aligns with these citizens’ initial interactions with the department of motor vehicles and facilitates voter registration efforts in high schools. These are two of the best opportunities to provide voter registration services to this population in a centralized and coordinated way before they disperse to join the workforce or enroll at a college or university. Fair Elections Center urges you to move this bill forward. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact Michelle Kanter Cohen, Senior Counsel, Fair Elections Center, (202) 331-0114, mkantercohen@fairelectionscenter.org.

As a youth community leader, I am a strong supporter of this bill. In the few weeks before the 2020 election voter registration deadline, I had dozens of Fairfax County community leaders reach out to me asking how they could help register high school voters. This how: allow them to pre-register at age 16.

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.

Below are my remaining comments, which I did not get to due to time constraints: The legislative affairs liaison from VB has brought up the matter of the city charter requiring a referendum to bring this issue to the General Assembly. I respond to that as follows: a referendum was attempted to be brought to the voters last year, but the city council, the majority of which of course supports the at-large system that elected them, shot that down. We cannot get a referendum to our voters on this issue because of the very at-large election system that it would address. It of course makes sense that the city council would send their lobbyist to oppose this change, because the status quo benefits them immensely. I submit that this is the very reason that the General Assembly, not the city government, has the final say on making these changes. I also see no reason that pending litigation over the at-large system should prevent changing the system. Court cases are rendered moot all the time by governments making voluntary changes. This argument is nothing more than an excuse to avoid action. The entrenched powers in our city aggressively use the at-large system to stay in power. On the occasion an underdog candidate manages to get elected through a perfect storm of factors, the wealthy and politically powerful then weaponized the otherwise-meaningless districts against them. This has happened twice in just the past few years – two years ago, David Nygaard narrowly won the Beach district seat after a hard-fought campaign against a long-term incumbent; however, no sooner was he seated, than a lawsuit was filed to remove Mr. Nygaard because he happened to still own a home in another district, despite having moved to the beach. The lawsuit succeeded, and Mr. Nygaard was removed from office, triggering a special election. Also around two years ago, school board member Joel MacDonald, who had been serving for years on the school board despite not being independently wealthy or well-connected, fell on hard economic times and had to temporarily move in with his parents; since that moved him across the district line, a lawsuit was promptly filed to remove him from office. Even though the at-large voter pool that elected him did not change at all by his move, he was removed from office. The purpose of this legal weaponizaton of the districts is clear from its effects: it is to ensure that service in elected office is reserved for the wealthy and well-connected. Representation in government is a cornerstone of the American way of life. Electing district representatives at-large chips away at this cornerstone, so it is critical that this bill passes.

Wednesday, 1/27/2021 – 9:00 a.m. HB2198 (Convirs-Fowler) Local elections for governing bodies; qualification of voters. Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: I am Debra Bryan, Legislative Affairs Liaison for the City of Virginia Beach, and I come before you today to OPPOSE HB2198. This legislation will unilaterally compel the citizens of the City of Virginia Beach to change the way they elect their leaders. The City agrees that all citizens have the right to be informed and educated about the options available to them in choosing the manner in which they vote for those seeking to hold elected office. The citizens must be afforded the opportunity to understand, evaluate, and trust the process that will seat the elected officials that represent them. If it is the will of the people of an individual locality to change its system of elections, so be it. But it should be the citizens of the locality who make the decision to changes the system – not a statewide mandate. Further, it has been the practice of the General Assembly not to take up legislation that is the subject of pending litigation. The City of Virginia Beach is a named defendant in a lawsuit currently pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia directly involving the subject matter of this legislation, and the parties to this lawsuit are currently awaiting a ruling from the federal court. It is for these reasons that we ask that you vote in opposition to HB2198. Sincerely, Debra Bryan

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 Mike Maskell, I am an attorney and long-term resident of Virginia Beach. Since a minority population is, by definition, not the majority in a city, the only hope a minority population of any sort has of being heard by their government is to rely on the principles of a republic to give them a representative for their neighborhoods. But in Virginia Beach, we don’t have representatives for neighborhoods, only representatives for the entire city. Whether an at-large seat or the seat of a particular named district, all members of city council are elected at-large. Indeed, the only meaning our districts appear to have is to be used as a technicality to disqualify a member or candidate who moves within the city, even though there is no difference in their constituency. Those who have studied history, including the Jim Crow era, recognize this as the tactic of vote dilution as a means of suppressing minority representation. The defenders of the at-large status quo will claim that there is no suppression of minority representation, because we have and have had African American members of City Council and School Board. This is a logical fallacy; winning doesn’t prove the deck wasn’t stacked against you. The defenders of the at-large status quo will also claim that this bill will cost them representation on city council. “why would I want to give up my right to vote for 6 members of city council?” they ask, “I want every member of council to have to listen to me!” Well, the problem with that is, under the at-large system, NONE of the members of council particularly need your vote! But under this bill’s district voting system, your vote would be worth 7 times as much to your own district’s representative. Finally, the defenders of the at-large status quo will say “look at how economically successful our resort city is! This would all be disrupted if we change how the council is elected!” Well, it’s not surprising they’d argue this, since they are the parties who most benefit from the current suppressive system. Certainly, there would be some changes in the composition of the council and school board if the voter pools of the seats are changed; and let’s not beat around the bush about why that would happen: because a candidate with less money behind his campaign would have a better chance of mustering enough support within his home district to win an election. Look at who the primary proponents of the at-large status quo are: hotel and resort owners, banks, and long-term incumbents. Of course they prefer it, it allows them to maintain near total control over the city! And of course, in their eyes, anyone not controlled by them will cause all the economic success they planned to fall apart – but their view there is just a little bit biased… Personally, I have more faith in the competence of Virginia Beach residents of more average financial means, and find it a little insulting to imply that the election of one would cause the economy to implode. It is my strong recommendation that the General Assembly pass this bill, so that all Virginia Beach residents may have fair representation in their government.

Re HB2081 - I am a survivor of the VB Municipal shooting of 5/31/19. I also routinely work polling places during elections. As a semi-public figure I have received threats and feel a need to carry a firearm to protect myself. This proposal only serves to disarm those who need an adequate defense and will do nothing to make anyone, including myself, safer. 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, Vincent Smith

Hello, Please vote YES on this bill. I am a Virginia resident who has focused on voter advocacy and election reform at the local level of government. I support HB2198 because residents should be able to hold their elected officials accountable. It doesn’t make sense that residents from other districts get to vote for a Ward representative when they don’t live in that Ward. Each Ward may have unique characteristics that in turn need to be addressed by having a representative that is elected only by those voters living within the Ward. What is the purpose of having a Ward system at all if it does not create wards were the elected representative is not specifically elected by ONLY the residents that live with it? Please vote YES on HB2198. Thank you for your time.

Totally in favor of the HB2198. A district should elect a Council member. This will also cut down on candidates having to campaign ALL OVER the City and just concentrate on their District. I also think this will cut down on the atrocious amounts of money needed to run for office. Focus on your district. Please pass this bill.

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.

Will this apply to actions by a Commissioner WHILE serving on the Commission: Or will it apply to any actions of the Commissioner before being appointed to the Commission?