Electoral boards, local; terms to begin January 1.
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HB 237 — Electoral boards, local; terms to begin January 1.
Last action — Approved by Governor-Chapter 287 (effective 7/1/20)
No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.
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✓Introduced
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✓In Committee
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✓Passed House of Delegates
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✓Passed Senate
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✓To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced December 30, 2019. Enacted.
Prognosis
Where this bill stands today.
Odds of enactment
HighHow often bills like it became law.
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Enacted
Current position in the legislative process.
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2 sponsors
1 primary, 1 co-sponsors signed on.
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Cleared a recorded vote
Passed 6 recorded votes so far.
Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.
Summary
Local electoral boards; terms to begin January 1. Provides for terms of local electoral board members to begin on January 1. If the results of an election have not been certified by the board or a recount of an election has not concluded, the term will expire at midnight on the day the results are certified or the recount is concluded, instead of December 31. Under current law, terms begin March 1.
Bill Text
What changed in the latest version
185 added · 7 removedPlain-language change summary
The changes to Bill HB 237 include a provision that allows the chief judge to appoint a temporary member to the electoral board on a meeting-to-meeting basis, enhancing flexibility in board operations. Additionally, the deadline for appointments has been adjusted to specify January 15 as the latest date unless election results are still pending. These amendments aim to ensure electoral boards have necessary representation and function smoothly, particularly during busy election periods.
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SESSION history | hilite | pdf | print version CHAPTER 287 An Act to amend and reenact § 24.2-106 of the Code of Virginia, relating to local electoral boards;
terms to begin January 1.
[H 237] Approved March 11, 2020 Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1.
That § 24.2-106 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 24.2-106.
Appointment and terms;
vacancies;
chairman and secretary;
certain prohibitions;
training.
A.
There shall be in each county and city an electoral board composed of three members who shall be appointed by the chief judge of the judicial circuit for the county or city or that judge's designee.
Such designee shall be any other judge who sits in the judicial circuit.
Any vacancy occurring on a board shall be filled by the same authority for the unexpired term.
In the event of the temporary absence, or disability that precludes the performance of duties, of one or more members that prevents attaining a quorum, the chief judge or his designee, for good cause, may appoint, on a meeting-to-meeting basis, a temporary member to the electoral board.
The temporary appointee must be eligible for appointment and to the extent practicable maintain representation of political parties under this section.
The clerk of the circuit court shall send to the State Board a copy of each order making an appointment to an electoral board.
In the appointment of the electoral board, representation shall be given to each of the two political parties having the highest and next highest number of votes in the Commonwealth for Governor at the last preceding gubernatorial election.
Two electoral board members shall be of the political party that cast the highest number of votes for Governor at that election.
When the Governor was not elected as the candidate of a political party, representation shall be given to each of the political parties having the highest and next highest number of members of the General Assembly at the time of the appointment and two board members shall be of the political party having the highest number of members in the General Assembly.
The political party entitled to the appointment shall make and file recommendations with the judges for the appointment not later than January 15 of the year of an appointment to a full term December 15 of the year of an expiration of a term or, in the case of an appointment to fill a vacancy, within 30 days of the date of death or notice of resignation of the member being replaced.
Its recommendations shall contain the names of at least three qualified voters of the county or city for each appointment.
The chief judge, or his designee, shall promptly make such appointment from the recommendations (i) after receipt of the political party's recommendation or (ii) after January 15 December 15 for a full term or after the 30-day period expires for a vacancy appointment, whichever of the events described in clause (i) or (ii) first occurs.
The chief judge of the judicial circuit for the county or city, or his designee, shall not appoint to the electoral board (a) any person who is the spouse of an electoral board member or the general registrar for the county or city;
(b) any person, or the spouse of any person, who is the parent, grandparent, sibling, child, or grandchild of an electoral board member or the general registrar of the county or city;
or (c) any person who is ineligible to serve under the provisions of this section.
Electoral board members shall serve three-year terms and be appointed to staggered terms, one term to expire at midnight on the last day of February December each year, unless the results of an election have not been certified by the board or a recount of an election has not concluded, in which case the term shall expire at midnight on the day the results are certified or the recount is concluded.
No three-year term shall be shortened to comply with the political party representation requirements of this section.
B.
The board shall elect one of its members as chairman and another as secretary.
The chairman and the secretary shall represent different political parties, unless the representative of the second-ranked political party declines in writing to accept the unfilled office.
At any time that the secretary is incapacitated in such a way that makes it impossible for the secretary to carry out the duties of the position, the board may designate one of its other members as acting secretary.
Any such designation shall be made in an open meeting and recorded in the minutes of the board.
Show all 53 changed lines (13 more)
The secretary of the electoral board shall immediately notify the State Board of any change in the membership or officers of the electoral board and shall keep the Board informed of the name, residence and mailing addresses, and home and business telephone numbers of each electoral board member.
C.
No member of an electoral board shall be eligible to offer for or hold an office to be filled in whole or in part by qualified voters of his jurisdiction.
If a member resigns to offer for or hold such office, the vacancy shall be filled as provided in this section.
No member of an electoral board shall be the spouse, grandparent, parent, sibling, child, or grandchild, or the spouse of a grandparent, parent, sibling, child, or grandchild, of a candidate for or holder of an elective office filled in whole or in part by any voters within the jurisdiction of the electoral board.
No member of an electoral board shall serve as the chairman of a state, local or district level political party committee or as a paid worker in the campaign of a candidate for nomination or election to an office filled by election in whole or in part by the qualified voters of the jurisdiction of the electoral board.
D.
Each member of the electoral board shall attend an annual training program provided by the State Board during the first year of his appointment and the first year of any subsequent reappointment.
2.
That the terms of persons serving as members of local electoral boards prior to the effective date of this act shall expire as follows:
(i) a term set to expire on February 28, 2021, shall expire on December 31, 2020;
(ii) a term set to expire on February 28, 2022, shall expire on December 31, 2021;
and (iii) a term set to expire on February 28, 2023, shall expire on December 31, 2022.
Show all 53 changed rows (13 more)
View plain text versions (4)
- Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0287) View text Current html March 11, 2020
- Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB237ER) View text html February 26, 2020
- Amended Engrossed by House as amended HB237E html February 05, 2020
- Impact statement from DPB (HB237) View text html December 30, 2019
Action History
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Approved by Governor-Chapter 287 (effective 7/1/20)
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Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 12, 2020
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Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 5, 2020
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Signed by President
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Signed by Speaker
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Impact statement from DPB (HB237ER)
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Enrolled
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Passed Senate (35-Y 0-N)
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Read third time
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Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
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Reported from Privileges and Elections (13-Y 0-N 1-A)
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Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
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Constitutional reading dispensed
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Impact statement from DPB (HB237E)
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VOTE: Passage (98-Y 1-N)
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Read third time and passed House (98-Y 1-N)
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Printed as engrossed 20101266D-E
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Engrossed by House as amended HB237E
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Committee amendment agreed to
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Read second time
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Read first time
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Reported from Privileges and Elections with amendment (20-Y 1-N)
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House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
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Subcommittee recommends reporting (6-Y 0-N)
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Impact statement from DPB (HB237)
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Assigned P & E sub: Gubernatorial Appointments
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Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
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Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20101266D
Sponsors
- Mark D. Sickles · Primary
- Amanda F. Chase · Cosponsor
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 1 co-sponsors · 146 not signed on · 2 voted No
Sponsors (1)
Co-sponsors (1)
Not signed on (146)
146 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 146 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 35 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Total | 35 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| % of votes cast | 88% | 0% | 0% | 13% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 93% | 0% | 0% | 7% |
How each member voted (14)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Spruill, Lionell, Sr. | — | Yea |
| Chafin, A. Benton "Ben" | — | Yea |
| McClellan, Jennifer L. | — | Yea |
| Bell, John J. | — | Yea |
| Bryce E. Reeves | — | Yea |
| Ebbin, Adam P. | — | Yea |
| Howell, Janet D. | — | Yea |
| Jennifer B. Boysko | — | Yea |
| Mark J. Peake | — | Yea |
| Mason, T. Montgomery "Monty" | — | Yea |
| R. Creigh Deeds | — | Yea |
| Ruff, Frank M., Jr. | — | Not Voting |
| Ryan T. McDougle | — | Yea |
| Scott A. Surovell | — | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 97 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 97 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 98% | 1% | 0% | 1% |
How each member voted (99)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 91% | 5% | 0% | 5% |
How each member voted (22)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Lindsey, Joseph C. | — | Yea |
| Adams, Dawn M. | — | Yea |
| Adams, Les R. | — | Nay |
| Askew, Alex Q. | — | Yea |
| Chris S. Runion | — | Yea |
| Christopher T. Head | — | Yea |
| Cole, Mark L. | — | Yea |
| Convirs-Fowler, Kelly K. | — | Yea |
| David A. Reid | — | Yea |
| Israel D. O'Quinn | — | Yea |
| Levine, Mark H. | — | Not Voting |
| Marcia S. "Cia" Price | — | Yea |
| Marcus B. Simon | — | Yea |
| McGuire, John J., III | — | Yea |
| Orrock, Robert D., Sr. | — | Yea |
| Paul E. Krizek | — | Yea |
| Robert S. Bloxom, Jr. | — | Yea |
| Rush, Nick | — | Yea |
| Sam Rasoul | — | Yea |
| Schuyler T. VanValkenburg | — | Yea |
| Shelly A. Simonds | — | Yea |
| Sickles, Mark D. | — | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 86% | 0% | 0% | 14% |
How each member voted (7)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Orrock, Robert D., Sr. | — | Yea |
| Lindsey, Joseph C. | — | Not Voting |
| Garrett McGuire | — | Yea |
| Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler | — | Yea |
| Kimberly Pope Adams | — | Yea |
| Mark D. Sickles | — | Yea |
| Sam Rasoul | — | Yea |
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does HB 237 do?
- Local electoral boards; terms to begin January 1. Provides for terms of local electoral board members to begin on January 1. If the results of an election have not been certified by the board or a recount of an election has not concluded, the term will expire at midnight on the day the results are certified or the recount is concluded, instead of December 31. Under current law, terms begin March 1.
- Who sponsors HB 237?
- HB 237 is sponsored by Mark D. Sickles and Chase, Amanda F..
- What is the current status of HB 237?
- This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced December 30, 2019. Enacted.
- Where can I track HB 237?
- Track HB 237 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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