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House committee advances bill to tighten voter-list cancellations, require verification
Summary
The committee reported House Bill 2276 with a substitute, 13-6, sending the measure to Appropriations. The bill adds verification steps and notice before cancelling registrations based on interstate matches, felony records or adjudications of incapacity, and would create FOIA-accessible records for cancellations.
The House Privileges and Elections Committee voted, 13-6, to report House Bill 2276 with a substitute and refer it to the Appropriations Committee. The bill, carried by Chair Price, would require the Department of Elections and local registrars to take additional verification steps and provide notice before cancelling voter registrations identified as deceased, adjudicated incapacitated, moved out of state, or listed as having a new felony conviction.
Chair Price said the bill aims to protect eligible voters from erroneous purges while preserving the goal of maintaining accurate rolls. Under the substitute, registrars must use the best available data, provide notification and an opportunity for a person to show evidence that they remain eligible, and maintain a record of canceled registrations subject to Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act.
Supporters said the bill addresses real-world consequences. Tram Nguyen of New Virginia Majority thanked Chair Price and said the bill would protect voters by improving the quality of the data passed from the Department of Elections to local registrars. Sheila Hurley Hennessey of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, speaking also on behalf of the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, said the bill would help protect new Americans who can be misflagged when DMV records lag — “a person with a green card would accurately check the box saying they’re not a citizen; three years later, when that person becomes a citizen, they could still get flagged in the DMV list,” she said.
Joan Poor of the League of Women Voters of Virginia spoke in support and said the bill “will go a long way toward preventing incorrect voter purges” and will help rebuild confidence in elections. No witnesses registered opposition during the hearing.
Committee discussion included a coordinator’s personal example: Chair Price noted that “if we had this in place, my mom wouldn’t have been taken off the rolls,” underscoring the sponsor’s rationale for greater verification before cancellation.
The committee’s substitute clarifies different procedures based on the reason for cancellation (deceased, adjudicated incapacitated, interstate list matches, or felony conviction), improves notice procedures, and creates a record for canceled registrations.
The measure was reported with substitute to Appropriations by a vote of 13 to 6.
