Voter registration; lists of registered voters and persons voting, publication of costs.
Summary
HB1952 amends Virginia law governing the Department of Elections’ disclosure of voter registration and voter participation lists. The bill keeps the existing framework that allows certain recipients—such as candidates, political parties, political action committees, incumbent officeholders, nonprofit voter participation groups, courts, and certain local tax officials—to obtain lists at a reasonable price or, in some cases, at no charge. It also preserves restrictions on use, including limits on who may receive the lists and what purposes they may be used for.
The bill adds or reinforces several administrative and privacy-related requirements. It directs the Department of Elections to publish on its website the cost of purchasing lists available under these sections, and it continues to prohibit the inclusion of Social Security numbers except in narrow circumstances already recognized in law. It also maintains the rule that post office box addresses must be used in place of residence street addresses for individuals who have provided a P.O. box under voter registration law, and it continues to bar recipients from publishing the information online in searchable list or database form or sharing it with third parties for that purpose.
Impact
HB1952 would amend Code of Virginia §§ 24.2-405 and 24.2-406, affecting how the Department of Elections provides voter registration lists and lists of persons who voted. The practical impact is to formalize transparency around list pricing while leaving the underlying access structure largely intact for political, governmental, census, and voter-participation uses. It also preserves privacy safeguards and usage restrictions that limit dissemination of voter data and voter-history information, while continuing to authorize interstate sharing for voter registration system maintenance under specified conditions.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have received strong initial support in the House, passing the chamber 96-0 after favorable committee action and a unanimous subcommittee recommendation. That pattern suggests broad agreement with the bill’s administrative and transparency provisions, as well as with the existing controlled-access model for voter data. However, the later Privileges and Elections vote of 8-7 to pass the bill by indefinitely indicates some division or reluctance at the committee stage, even though no transcript is available to identify the specific reasons.
Contention
The main points of potential contention are the scope of access to voter registration and voter turnout lists, the privacy implications of releasing those lists, and the balance between transparency and data protection. Supporters likely favor clearer pricing and continued access for campaigns, parties, nonprofits, courts, and election administrators, while opponents may be concerned about the potential for misuse, online publication, or broader dissemination of voter information. The committee vote suggests that, despite broad House approval, some members had reservations about the bill’s policy direction or its effect on voter privacy and data handling.