Background:

The right to vote is one of our most fundamental rights and enshrined forever in our Constitution. But that right can be alarmingly curtailed by external circumstances. By controlling who can vote, when they can vote, whom they can vote for, and even what can be done with campaign funds, the members of the General Assembly have the complex responsibility of regulating themselves and their own activities. Voting is fundamental to a functioning democracy, and so regulations surrounding free and fair voting should be examined with the highest scrutiny. 

Looking Back at 2019:

One of the biggest issues that arose in the 2019 General Assembly was redistricting reform and an attempt to create an independent commission to oversee the process moving forward. After several statewide lawsuits and an overwhelming amount of press coverage, the pressure was mounting at the General Assembly to address heavily gerrymandered voting districts in Virginia.  The Virginia constitution requires districts that are “compact” and “contiguous,” which they currently are not. A court has already invalidated these districts as unconstitutional and ordered the General Assembly to revise the boundaries based on the court’s parameters.

To address the claims of partisan and racial gerrymandering, both chambers passed legislation to create an independent 16-member commission made up of 8 citizens and 8 legislators (4 from the Senate and 4 from the House), who will draw new district lines after the 2020 census. The legislation had unanimous support in the Senate but did draw criticism from the African American caucus in the House of Delegates, who were concerned that the commission would have no African-American representation.  

Redistricting Reform

The passage of the 2019 legislation was momentous, but only the first step in a multi-year process to officially amend the state constitution. The General Assembly will have to pass the same measure in next year’s session, which will then be followed by a statewide ballot referendum for all Virginians in the fall of 2020. The legislation must pass both hurdles before being cemented into the Virginia Constitution in time for the 2020 census results. If recognized, these changes will dramatically reshape Virginia’s political map. 

Campaign Funds

Currently, in Virginia, politicians are able to use funds from campaign contributions for personal use. Despite a multi-year debate to end the practice and calls from the Commission on Integrity and Public Confidence in State Government to pass legislation, all attempts have failed. The bill from the 2019 session, which passed the House of Delegates with unanimous support, was simply left in the Senate Rules Committee, where it was never brought to a vote and simply died at the end of the session. This year there will likely be renewed support for the regulation of campaign funds and support from the public will be vital in pushing it through. 

Voting Restrictions

Virginia historically has very tight voting restrictions, despite its high voter turnout, which has led many legislators to pursue various expansions of voting opportunities. Although many pieces of legislation did not make it through the 2019 session, two bills were passed and will allow people to vote in-person, without an excuse, for a week preceding elections. Although this legislation will not go into effect until 2020, it will give Virginians far more opportunities to vote in the future. There are other ways that the legislature can make it easier for citizens to get to the polls, including mandated time off for voting, an Election Day holiday, or eased restrictions on absentee voting.