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type, title, description, jurisdiction, legislature, session, identifier, citation, classification, subjects, status, primary_sponsors, version_count, action_count, vote_count, first_action, last_action, source, source_identifier, source_url, source_hash, vintage, source_snapshot, retrieved_at, confidence, tags
type title description jurisdiction legislature session identifier citation classification subjects status primary_sponsors version_count action_count vote_count first_action last_action source source_identifier source_url source_hash vintage source_snapshot retrieved_at confidence tags
Bill Absentee voting; procedural and process reforms, availability and accessibility reforms, penalty. Absentee voting; procedural and process reforms; availability and accessibility reforms; penalty. Makes various reforms to absentee voting processes and procedures, including those related to availability and accessibility. The bill requires certain actions to be taken to process absentee ballots returned before the day of an election, including verifying the correct completion of the voter affirmation statement, and provides for an opportunity for an absentee voter to make corrections to the statement in certain circumstances. The bill requires the establishment of drop-off locations for the return of voted absentee ballots. Additionally, a central absentee voter precinct is required to be established in each locality; currently, establishment is optional. On the day of the election, officers of election are required to begin processing absentee ballots in the central absentee voter precincts prior to the close of polls, but no ballot vote counts are permitted to be transmitted outside of the central absentee voter precinct before the close of polls; a violation of such prohibition is a Class 1 misdemeanor. When reporting election results to the Department of Elections, the general registrars are required to report absentee ballots cast early in person separately from all other absentee ballots. Additionally, a voter who has applied for and received an absentee ballot may choose to instead vote at his polling place on election day, and such voter shall be entitled to cast a provisional ballot. The bill requires a ballot marking tool with screen reader assistive technology to be made available for absentee voters with a print disability. Restrictions on the availability of absentee voting for first-time voters who registered by mail are repealed. The bill contains technical amendments for organizational and readability purposes. us/states/va Virginia General Assembly 2021 HB 1888 Virginia HB 1888 (2021)
bill
enacted
Schuyler T. VanValkenburg
4 37 7 2021-01-08 2021-03-31 openstates ocd-bill/dd0ced14-cec6-49c7-a283-b1f7102a4cf4 https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+sum+HB1888 3c88a039da5495881e9b5cfdb5aede6c3a042ffa670718d2e4b7e65188293871 2026-07-01 https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump 2026-07-06 reported
legislation
bill
us-va

Virginia HB 1888 (2021) — Absentee voting; procedural and process reforms, availability and accessibility reforms, penalty.

Absentee voting; procedural and process reforms; availability and accessibility reforms; penalty. Makes various reforms to absentee voting processes and procedures, including those related to availability and accessibility. The bill requires certain actions to be taken to process absentee ballots returned before the day of an election, including verifying the correct completion of the voter affirmation statement, and provides for an opportunity for an absentee voter to make corrections to the statement in certain circumstances. The bill requires the establishment of drop-off locations for the return of voted absentee ballots. Additionally, a central absentee voter precinct is required to be established in each locality; currently, establishment is optional. On the day of the election, officers of election are required to begin processing absentee ballots in the central absentee voter precincts prior to the close of polls, but no ballot vote counts are permitted to be transmitted outside of the central absentee voter precinct before the close of polls; a violation of such prohibition is a Class 1 misdemeanor. When reporting election results to the Department of Elections, the general registrars are required to report absentee ballots cast early in person separately from all other absentee ballots. Additionally, a voter who has applied for and received an absentee ballot may choose to instead vote at his polling place on election day, and such voter shall be entitled to cast a provisional ballot. The bill requires a ballot marking tool with screen reader assistive technology to be made available for absentee voters with a print disability. Restrictions on the availability of absentee voting for first-time voters who registered by mail are repealed. The bill contains technical amendments for organizational and readability purposes.

Version chain

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

  1. CHAP0471 (committee substitute) — source
  2. Committee substitute printed 21200269D-S1 (committee substitute) — source
  3. HB1888ER (committee substitute) — source
  4. Printed as engrossed 21101608D-E (committee substitute) — source

Votes

  • Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — 390 (pass) · upper
  • VOTE: Passage (55-Y 43-N) — 5443 (pass) · lower
  • Reported from Privileges and Elections with substitute (9-Y 6-N) — 96 (pass) · upper
  • VOTE: Adoption (53-Y 43-N) — 5243 (pass) · lower
  • Reported from Privileges and Elections with amendment(s) (13-Y 9-N) — 139 (pass) · lower
  • Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 17-N) — 2117 (pass) · upper
  • Continued to 2021 Sp. Sess. 1 in Privileges and Elections (15-Y 0-N) — 150 (pass) · upper

Sponsors

  • Schuyler T. VanValkenburg — primary (person)
  • Alfonso H. Lopez — cosponsor (person)
  • Angelia Williams Graves — cosponsor (person)
  • Betsy B. Carr — cosponsor (person)
  • C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr. — cosponsor (person)
  • Candi Mundon King — cosponsor (person)
  • Charniele L. Herring — cosponsor (person)
  • Chris L. Hurst — cosponsor (person)
  • Clinton L. Jenkins — cosponsor (person)
  • Dan I. Helmer — cosponsor (person)
  • David A. Reid — cosponsor (person)
  • Dawn M. Adams — cosponsor (person)
  • Delores L. McQuinn — cosponsor (person)
  • Eileen Filler-Corn — cosponsor (person)
  • George L. Barker — cosponsor (person)
  • Hala S. Ayala — cosponsor (person)
  • Kathleen Murphy — cosponsor (person)
  • Kathy K.L. Tran — cosponsor (person)
  • Kaye Kory — cosponsor (person)
  • Kenneth R. Plum — cosponsor (person)
  • Lee J. Carter — cosponsor (person)
  • Marcia S. "Cia" Price — cosponsor (person)
  • Marcus B. Simon — cosponsor (person)
  • Mark D. Sickles — cosponsor (person)
  • Mark H. Levine — cosponsor (person)
  • Mark L. Keam — cosponsor (person)
  • Martha M. Mugler — cosponsor (person)
  • Patrick A. Hope — cosponsor (person)
  • Paul E. Krizek — cosponsor (person)
  • Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr. — cosponsor (person)
  • Rodney T. Willett — cosponsor (person)
  • Roslyn C. Tyler — cosponsor (person)
  • Sally L. Hudson — cosponsor (person)
  • Sam Rasoul — cosponsor (person)
  • Shelly A. Simonds — cosponsor (person)
  • Suhas Subramanyam — cosponsor (person)
  • Vivian E. Watts — cosponsor (person)
  • Wendy W. Gooditis — cosponsor (person)

Timeline

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

  • 2021-01-08 Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21101608D introduction
  • 2021-01-08 Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections referral-committee
  • 2021-01-13 Impact statement from DPB (HB1888)
  • 2021-01-13 House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
  • 2021-01-13 Reported from Privileges and Elections with amendment(s) (13-Y 9-N) committee-passage
  • 2021-01-15 Read first time reading-1
  • 2021-01-18 Read second time reading-2
  • 2021-01-18 Committee amendments agreed to
  • 2021-01-18 Engrossed by House as amended HB1888E
  • 2021-01-18 Printed as engrossed 21101608D-E
  • 2021-01-19 Read third time and passed House (55-Y 43-N) passage, reading-3
  • 2021-01-19 VOTE: Passage (55-Y 43-N)
  • 2021-01-19 Impact statement from DPB (HB1888E)
  • 2021-01-20 Constitutional reading dispensed
  • 2021-01-20 Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections referral-committee
  • 2021-01-22 Impact statement from DHCD/CLG (HB1888)
  • 2021-02-05 Continued to 2021 Sp. Sess. 1 in Privileges and Elections (15-Y 0-N)
  • 2021-02-16 Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
  • 2021-02-16 Reported from Privileges and Elections with substitute (9-Y 6-N) committee-passage
  • 2021-02-16 Committee substitute printed 21200269D-S1 substitution
  • 2021-02-18 Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
  • 2021-02-19 Read third time reading-3
  • 2021-02-19 Reading of substitute waived
  • 2021-02-19 Committee substitute agreed to 21200269D-S1
  • 2021-02-19 Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HB1888S1
  • 2021-02-19 Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 17-N) passage
  • 2021-02-19 Impact statement from DPB (HB1888S1)
  • 2021-02-23 Placed on Calendar
  • 2021-02-23 Senate substitute agreed to by House 21200269D-S1 (53-Y 43-N)
  • 2021-02-23 VOTE: Adoption (53-Y 43-N)
  • 2021-02-25 Enrolled
  • 2021-02-25 Impact statement from DPB (HB1888ER)
  • 2021-02-25 Signed by President
  • 2021-02-26 Signed by Speaker
  • 2021-03-01 Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 1, 2021
  • 2021-03-01 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 31, 2021
  • 2021-03-31 Approved by Governor-Chapter 471 (effective 7/1/21) executive-signature

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/dd0ced14-cec6-49c7-a283-b1f7102a4cf4. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).