An Act to amend and reenact § 24.2-532 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; conduct of primaries; abstract of votes; law-enforcement officer to obtain returns not forwarded.
Summary
HB1321 amends Virginia Code § 24.2-532, which governs the handling of abstracts of votes in primary elections. The bill requires the secretary of an electoral board, once the winners of a nomination are determined, to prepare abstracts and certificates of the votes cast and send certified copies to the State Board of Elections. It also directs the secretary to provide certified copies in person or by certified mail to the appropriate party or district committee chair for congressional, General Assembly, county, city, and district offices.
The bill also preserves and restates the procedure for missing returns: if the State Board has not received an abstract of votes from any county or city within six days after a state primary election, it must dispatch a law-enforcement officer to obtain the returns. The measure is a procedural election-administration bill focused on timely transmission of primary results and the chain of custody for election paperwork.
Impact
HB1321 makes a targeted change to Virginia election law by clarifying and reinforcing the process for forwarding primary election vote abstracts and certificates. It affects electoral boards, the State Board of Elections, and political party committees by specifying who receives certified copies of vote totals and by maintaining the authority for law-enforcement retrieval of missing returns. The bill does not change voter eligibility or ballot access, but it strengthens administrative deadlines and reporting procedures for primary elections under Title 24.2.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It moved through subcommittee, committee, and floor votes with strong majorities, including unanimous or near-unanimous committee action and passage in both chambers. The voting record suggests general agreement that the measure was a routine election-administration update rather than a politically divisive change.
Contention
There is little evidence of substantive contention in the available record. The only notable point of potential concern is the continued use of a law-enforcement officer to obtain election returns if a county or city fails to transmit them within six days, a provision that may raise questions about election administration and enforcement authority. However, the vote history shows no significant opposition, indicating that any concerns were limited or not strongly expressed in the legislative process.
Elections; voter identification containing photograph required; who may register up to and including the day of the election; absentee ballot application requirements; absentee voting in person availability; return of absentee ballots.