Former board member urges state board to act on petition alleging Norfolk election irregularities; board says it will not take action now

Mary McKay, who identified herself as a former elected board member, asked the State Board of Elections to include in the public record a petition alleging misconduct by the Norfolk electoral board and attached exhibits she said document violations of Virginia election procedures.

During a three‑minute public comment, McKay alleged that members of the Norfolk board conducted an illegal closed session and failed to convene mandated provisional ballot meetings for the last three elections, which she said allowed provisional ballots and envelopes to be handled without independent verification. She said those failures included roughly 600 same‑day registrations at the Chesterfield precinct and that the candidate Hawkins “was now being deprived from knowing” about those registrations, language McKay said could have provided grounds to contest the race.

McKay named specific Norfolk board members and said the board had ratified totals provided by the registrar without examining provisional ballot envelopes. “I respectfully request that a copy be included in the public record, which I have here,” McKay said, presenting the petition and exhibits.

The chair responded that the petition and supporting materials had been shared with each board member and that “no member of the board felt it necessary to proceed with any action” during the meeting. No formal investigation or vote to act on the petition occurred at the session.

McKay requested the materials be entered into the public record; the board acknowledged receipt and moved on to its scheduled business.