SB 165 — Candidates for office; petition of qualified voters, start date.

SESSION ENROLLED VIRGINIA ACTS OF ASSEMBLY ––-- 2024 SESSION CHAPTER E498 An Act to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-506 and 24.2-521 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections;

R O [S 165] Approved LApril L4, 2024 Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

E § 24.2-506.

certain toDnstowns excA.excepted.

TheA. name of any candidate for any office, other than a party nominee, shall not be printed upon any official ballots provided for the election unless he shall file along with his declaration of candidacy a petition therefor, on a form prescribed by the State Board, signed by the number of qualified voters specified in this subsection on and after January 1 of the year in which the general election is held, or on and after the day on which the writ of election is issued in the case of a special election, and listing the residence address of each such voter.

EachThe signaturename onof theany petitioncandidate shallfor haveany beenoffice, witnessedother bythan a personparty whonominee, isshall not be printed upon any official ballots provided for the election unless he shall file along with his declaration of candidacy a minorpetition ortherefor, on a felonform whoseprescribed votingby rightsthe haveState notBoard, beensigned restoredby andthe whosenumber affidBvitof toqualified thatvoters effecton appearsand after the day on eachwhich pagethe writ of election is issued in the petition.case of a special election, and listing the residence address of each such voter.

Each suchsignature personon circulatingthe petition shall have been witnessed by a petitionperson who i6is not a jurisdictionminor ofor thea courtsfelon ofwhose Virginiavoting inrights resolvinghave anynot disputesbeen concerningrestored theand circulationwhose ofaffidavit Eetitions,to orthat signatureseffect containedappears therein,on byeach thatpage person.of the petition.

Each such person circulating a petition who is not a legal resident of the Commonwealth shall sign a statement on the affidavit that he consents to the jurisdiction of the courts of Virginia in resolving any disputes concerning the circulation of petitions, or signatures contained therein, by that person.

follows:inimumThe minimum number of signatures of qualified voters required for candidate petitions shall be as 1.follows:

1.

For a candidate for membership on the governing body or elected school board of any county or voters,city, 50125 signatures;orsignatures; if from an election district not at large containing 1,000 or fewer registered 6.

or if from an election district not at large containing 1,000 or fewer registered voters, 50 signatures;

6.

For a candidate for membership on the governing body or elected school board of any town that has9.has fewer than 1,500 registered voters, no petition shall be required;

9.

Such revisions shall provide a process for checking petition signatures that includes a method for determining if a petition signature belongs to an individual whose prior registration has been canceled and the reason for such cancellation.

The processanprocess shall provide for the tracking of such information associated with each petition.

The process shall of 2 provide for the escalation of cases of suspected fraud to the electoral board, the State Board, or the office of the attorney for the Commonwealth, as appropriate.

of 2 C.

A candidate for nomination by primary for any office shall be required to file with his declaration of candidacy a petition for his name to be printed on the official primary ballot, on a form prescribed by the State Board, signed by the number of qualified voters specified in this section on and after January 1 of the year in which the election is held or before or after said date in the case of a March primary, and listing the residence address of each such voter.