Fabio
104 lines
6.8 KiB
Markdown
104 lines
6.8 KiB
Markdown
---
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type: "Bill"
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title: "Election results; counting machine-readable ballots, processing absentee ballots."
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description: "Election results; counting machine-readable ballots; processing absentee ballots. Requires ballot scanner machines to be used to count machine-readable ballots and prohibits such ballots from being counted by hand unless (i) the ballot scanner machine is inoperative, (ii) there is no other available scanner, and (iii) it would be unreasonable to wait for (a) the inoperative ballot scanner to be made operative or (b) an operative ballot scanner machine to be delivered to the polling place rather than hand counting the ballots. \"Ballot scanner machine\" and \"machine-readable ballot\" are defined terms under current law. The bill also provides that if, in the processing and counting of provisional and absentee ballots, any machine-readable ballot is damaged or defective, a team of election officials representing both parties shall make a true duplicate copy of such damaged ballot as a substitute for such damaged ballot. This bill has a delayed effective date of September 1, 2026."
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jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
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legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
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session: "2026"
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identifier: "HB 968"
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citation: "Virginia HB 968 (2026)"
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classification: ["bill"]
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subjects: []
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status: "enacted"
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primary_sponsors: ["Marcia S. \"Cia\" Price"]
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version_count: 3
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action_count: 39
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vote_count: 7
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first_action: "2026-01-13"
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last_action: "2026-04-13"
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source: "openstates"
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source_identifier: "ocd-bill/7d5aba76-ab9e-4f8a-8afb-049b8d678fed"
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source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB968"
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source_hash: "ccec55502d22216c2cae07d74707e267f1ca404903a0d2b069697b172aaa3d6a"
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vintage: "2026-07-01"
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source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
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retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
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confidence: "reported"
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tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
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---
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# Virginia HB 968 (2026) — Election results; counting machine-readable ballots, processing absentee ballots.
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Election results; counting machine-readable ballots; processing absentee ballots. Requires ballot scanner machines to be used to count machine-readable ballots and prohibits such ballots from being counted by hand unless (i) the ballot scanner machine is inoperative, (ii) there is no other available scanner, and (iii) it would be unreasonable to wait for (a) the inoperative ballot scanner to be made operative or (b) an operative ballot scanner machine to be delivered to the polling place rather than hand counting the ballots. "Ballot scanner machine" and "machine-readable ballot" are defined terms under current law. The bill also provides that if, in the processing and counting of provisional and absentee ballots, any machine-readable ballot is damaged or defective, a team of election officials representing both parties shall make a true duplicate copy of such damaged ballot as a substitute for such damaged ballot. This bill has a delayed effective date of September 1, 2026.
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## Version chain
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The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.
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1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086718.PDF)
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2. **Privileges and Elections Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1181396.PDF)
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3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1199396.PDF)
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## Votes
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- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
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- H VOTE: — **63–32** (pass) · lower
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- Reported from Privileges and Elections with substitute — **8–7** (pass) · upper
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- H VOTE: — **65–33** (pass) · lower
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- Passage R — **21–19** (pass) · upper
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- Reported from Privileges and Elections with substitute — **16–6** (pass) · lower
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- Subcommittee recommends reporting — **6–2** (pass) · lower
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## Sponsors
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- Marcia S. "Cia" Price — primary (person)
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## Timeline
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The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.
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- **2026-01-13** Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101436D `filing, introduction`
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- **2026-01-13** Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections `referral-committee`
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- **2026-01-25** Assigned HPE sub: Election Administration `referral-committee`
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- **2026-01-26** Subcommittee recommends reporting (6-Y 2-N)
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- **2026-01-27** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB968)
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- **2026-01-30** House committee offered
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- **2026-01-30** Reported from Privileges and Elections with substitute (16-Y 6-N) `committee-passage`
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- **2026-01-30** Committee substitute printed 26106669D-H1 `substitution`
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- **2026-01-30** Read first time `reading-1`
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- **2026-02-02** Read second time `reading-2`
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- **2026-02-02** committee substitute agreed to `substitution`
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- **2026-02-02** Engrossed by House - committee substitute `substitution`
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- **2026-02-03** Read third time and passed House (65-Y 33-N 0-A) `passage, reading-3`
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- **2026-02-04** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
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- **2026-02-04** Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections `referral-committee`
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- **2026-02-06** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB968)
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- **2026-02-24** Senate committee offered
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- **2026-02-24** Senate committee offered
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- **2026-02-24** Reported from Privileges and Elections with substitute (8-Y 7-N) `committee-passage`
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- **2026-02-25** Senate committee offered
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- **2026-02-25** Committee substitute printed 26107343D-S1 `substitution`
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- **2026-02-26** Rules suspended
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- **2026-02-26** Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
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- **2026-02-26** Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
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- **2026-02-26** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB968)
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- **2026-02-27** Read third time `reading-3`
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- **2026-02-27** Passed by for the day
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- **2026-03-02** Privileges and Elections Substitute agreed to
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- **2026-03-02** Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute `substitution`
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- **2026-03-02** Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 19-N 0-A) `passage`
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- **2026-03-04** Senate substitute agreed to by House (63-Y 32-N 0-A) `substitution`
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- **2026-03-11** Enrolled `enrolled`
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- **2026-03-11** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB968ER) `passage`
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- **2026-03-11** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB968)
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- **2026-03-11** Signed by President `passage`
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- **2026-03-12** Signed by Speaker `passage`
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- **2026-03-14** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 14, 2026 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
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- **2026-03-14** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 `executive-receipt`
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- **2026-04-13** Approved by Governor-Chapter 718 (effective 7/1/2026) `executive-signature`
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## Source
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OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/7d5aba76-ab9e-4f8a-8afb-049b8d678fed`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).
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