republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2020/sb-617.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Absentee voting; voter satellite offices for absentee voting in person."
description: "Absentee voting; voter satellite offices for absentee voting in person. Authorizes the establishment of voter satellite offices by governing bodies of counties and cities for purposes of absentee voting in person. No change in any voter satellite office, including the creation of a new voter satellite office or abolishment of an existing voter satellite office, may be enacted within the 60 days immediately preceding a general election. The bill requires general registrars to post notice of the locations of all voter satellite offices within the locality, and their days and hours of operation, not later than 55 days prior to any election. Requirements for polling places, including accessibility for persons with disabilities, changes of location due to emergency circumstances, and funding, apply to voter satellite offices. The provisions of the bill are applicable to elections beginning with the general election on November 3, 2020."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "SB 617"
citation: "Virginia SB 617 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["R. Creigh Deeds"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 29
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2020-01-07"
last_action: "2020-04-07"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/ff5da1f7-aff6-477b-b2c0-079b2bc6736b"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB617"
source_hash: "f9d8daa398bb76e24586f67ee1c180b6b6aedbb24831b650ebea97acb70ccf2a"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia SB 617 (2020) — Absentee voting; voter satellite offices for absentee voting in person.

Absentee voting; voter satellite offices for absentee voting in person. Authorizes the establishment of voter satellite offices by governing bodies of counties and cities for purposes of absentee voting in person. No change in any voter satellite office, including the creation of a new voter satellite office or abolishment of an existing voter satellite office, may be enacted within the 60 days immediately preceding a general election. The bill requires general registrars to post notice of the locations of all voter satellite offices within the locality, and their days and hours of operation, not later than 55 days prior to any election. Requirements for polling places, including accessibility for persons with disabilities, changes of location due to emergency circumstances, and funding, apply to voter satellite offices. The provisions of the bill are applicable to elections beginning with the general election on November 3, 2020.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0856)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0856)
2. **Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB617ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB617ER)
3. **Engrossed by Senate as amended SB617E** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB617E)
4. **Impact statement from DPB (SB617)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB617)

## Votes

- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting (6-Y 0-N) — **6–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Privileges and Elections with amendment (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Passage (92-Y 8-N) — **91–8** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Privileges and Elections (19-Y 1-N) — **19–1** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- R. Creigh Deeds — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2020-01-07** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20102713D `introduction`
- **2020-01-07** Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-14** Impact statement from DPB (SB617)
- **2020-01-14** Reported from Privileges and Elections with amendment (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-01-16** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2020-01-17** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-01-17** Reading of amendment waived
- **2020-01-17** Committee amendment agreed to
- **2020-01-17** Engrossed by Senate as amended SB617E
- **2020-01-17** Printed as engrossed 20102713D-E
- **2020-01-20** Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2020-02-05** Impact statement from DPB (SB617E)
- **2020-02-13** Placed on Calendar
- **2020-02-13** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-13** Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-14** Assigned P & E sub: Elections `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-18** Subcommittee recommends reporting (6-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-21** Reported from Privileges and Elections (19-Y 1-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-25** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-26** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-26** Passed House (92-Y 8-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-26** VOTE: Passage (92-Y 8-N)
- **2020-03-03** Enrolled
- **2020-03-03** Impact statement from DPB (SB617ER)
- **2020-03-03** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-03-04** Signed by President
- **2020-03-12** Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 12, 2020
- **2020-03-12** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
- **2020-04-07** Approved by Governor-Chapter 856 (effective 7/1/20) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/ff5da1f7-aff6-477b-b2c0-079b2bc6736b`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).