Vetoed by Governor Glenn Youngkin

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report that establishes guidelines for the Virginia Department of Elections to verify and protect voter registration information.

Highlights:

• Establishes guidelines for the Virginia Department of Elections to verify and protect voter registration information (Sec. 1).

• Requires certain, specified identification information to be included on the lists received by the Department of Elections for list maintenance purposes (Sec. 1).

• Requires the Department, upon receiving any such list, to do an initial comparison of the information included on such list with the list of registered voters and determine the confidence score for any match (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that matches with a confidence score of at least 80 are transmitted to the appropriate general registrars (Sec. 1).

• Prohibits the use of voter data received from another state or jurisdiction or through a list comparison for list maintenance purposes when the data file does not include a unique identifier for each individual whose information is contained in the data file (Sec. 1).

• Requires the Department of Elections to annually review all sources of data utilized for list maintenance activities to determine the validity, completeness, accuracy, and reliability of the data received from each source, and to include the results of such review in its annual report to the House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections regarding its list maintenance activities (Sec. 1).

• Prohibits the cancellation within 90 days of any election of any registration identified as belonging to a person no longer residing in the state or otherwise no longer entitled to vote by a data match program conducted using lists of registered voters exchanged with other states (Sec. 1).

• Requires the general registrars to send notice before canceling a voter's record regardless of the reason for cancellation (Sec. 1).

• Amends and clarifies that when a voter's registration is canceled, a cancellation record must be created and that such records are public under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and the National Voter Registration Act (Sec. 1).

• Specifies the provisions of this bill shall take effect beginning July 1, 2026 (Sec. 3).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report that establishes guidelines for the Virginia Department of Elections to verify and protect voter registration information.

Highlights:

• Establishes guidelines for the Virginia Department of Elections to verify and protect voter registration information (Sec. 1).

• Requires certain, specified identification information to be included on the lists received by the Department of Elections for list maintenance purposes (Sec. 1).

• Requires the Department, upon receiving any such list, to do an initial comparison of the information included on such list with the list of registered voters and determine the confidence score for any match (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that matches with a confidence score of at least 80 are transmitted to the appropriate general registrars (Sec. 1).

• Prohibits the use of voter data received from another state or jurisdiction or through a list comparison for list maintenance purposes when the data file does not include a unique identifier for each individual whose information is contained in the data file (Sec. 1).

• Requires the Department of Elections to annually review all sources of data utilized for list maintenance activities to determine the validity, completeness, accuracy, and reliability of the data received from each source, and to include the results of such review in its annual report to the House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections regarding its list maintenance activities (Sec. 1).

• Prohibits the cancellation within 90 days of any election of any registration identified as belonging to a person no longer residing in the state or otherwise no longer entitled to vote by a data match program conducted using lists of registered voters exchanged with other states (Sec. 1).

• Requires the general registrars to send notice before canceling a voter's record regardless of the reason for cancellation (Sec. 1).

• Amends and clarifies that when a voter's registration is canceled, a cancellation record must be created and that such records are public under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and the National Voter Registration Act (Sec. 1).

• Specifies the provisions of this bill shall take effect beginning July 1, 2026 (Sec. 3).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that establishes guidelines for the Virginia Department of Elections to verify and protect voter registration information.

Highlights:

• Establishes guidelines for the Virginia Department of Elections to verify and protect voter registration information (Sec. 1).

• Requires certain, specified identification information to be included on the lists received by the Department of Elections for list maintenance purposes (Sec. 1).

• Requires the Department, upon receiving any such list, to do an initial comparison of the information included on such list with the list of registered voters and determine the confidence score for any match (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that matches with a confidence score of at least 80 are transmitted to the appropriate general registrars (Sec. 1).

• Prohibits the use of voter data received from another state or jurisdiction or through a list comparison for list maintenance purposes when the data file does not include a unique identifier for each individual whose information is contained in the data file (Sec. 1).

• Requires the Department of Elections to annually review all sources of data utilized for list maintenance activities to determine the validity, completeness, accuracy, and reliability of the data received from each source, and to include the results of such review in its annual report to the House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections regarding its list maintenance activities (Sec. 1).

• Prohibits the cancellation within 90 days of any election of any registration identified as belonging to a person no longer residing in the state or otherwise no longer entitled to vote by a data match program conducted using lists of registered voters exchanged with other states (Sec. 1).

• Requires the general registrars to send notice before canceling a voter's record regardless of the reason for cancellation (Sec. 1).

• Amends and clarifies that when a voter's registration is canceled, a cancellation record must be created and that such records are public under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and the National Voter Registration Act (Sec. 1).

• Specifies the provisions of this bill shall take effect beginning July 1, 2026 (Sec. 3).

Full Bill Text