Bill Text: VA HB1399 | 2017 | Regular Session | Engrossed
Bill Title: Elections, State Board of, and local electoral boards; appointments, proportion of political party.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2017-02-20 - Defeated by Senate (19-Y 20-N) [HB1399 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2017-HB1399-Engrossed.html
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §§24.2-102 and 24.2-106 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:
§24.2-102. Appointment; terms; Commissioner of Elections; prohibited activities.
The State Board of Elections is continued and shall consist of
three members appointed [ in accordance with this section by the
Governor ] from the qualified voters of the Commonwealth, subject to
confirmation by the General Assembly. In the appointment of the Board,
representation shall be given to each of the political parties having the
highest and next highest number of votes in the Commonwealth for Governor at
the last preceding gubernatorial election. Two Board members shall be of the
political party which cast the highest number of votes for Governor at that
election. [ One Board member shall be appointed by the Speaker of the
House of Delegates, one Board member shall be appointed by the Senate Committee
on Rules, and one Board member shall be appointed by the Governor. If all three
members are of the same political party, the Board member appointed by the
Governor shall be of the political party having cast the next highest number of
votes in the Commonwealth for Governor at the last preceding gubernatorial
election. One Board member shall be of the political party having
the highest number of members in the House of Delegates, one Board member shall
be of the political party having the highest number of members in the Senate of
Virginia, and one Board member shall be of the political party of the Governor.
If all three members are of the same political party, one Board member shall be
of the political party having cast the next highest number of votes in the
Commonwealth for Governor at the last preceding gubernatorial election. ] When
the Governor was not elected as the candidate of a political party,
representation shall be given to each of the political parties having the
highest and next highest number of members of the General Assembly at the time
of the appointment and two Board members shall be of the political party having
the highest number of members in the General Assembly. Each political party
entitled to an appointment may make and file recommendations with the [ Speaker
of the House of Delegates, the Senate Committee on Rules, or the ]
Governor [ , as appropriate, ] for the appointment. Its
recommendations shall contain the names of at least three qualified voters of
the Commonwealth.
Board members shall serve four-year terms beginning February 1, 1995, and each fourth year thereafter. Vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired terms. No member shall be eligible for more than two successive four-year terms. A member appointed for an unexpired term may be appointed for the two succeeding four-year terms.
The Governor shall appoint a Commissioner of Elections, who shall receive the salary fixed by law. The Commissioner of Elections may employ the personnel required to carry out the duties imposed by the State Board of Elections.
No member of the Board shall be eligible to offer for or hold an office to be filled in whole or in part by qualified voters in the Commonwealth. If a member resigns to offer for or hold such office, the vacancy shall be filled as provided in this section.
No member of the Board shall serve as the chairman of a state, local, or district level political party committee or as a paid worker in the campaign of a candidate for nomination or election to an office filled by election in whole or in part by qualified voters in the Commonwealth.
§24.2-106. Appointment and terms; vacancies; chairman and secretary; certain prohibitions; training.
There shall be in each county and city an electoral board composed of three members who shall be appointed by a majority of the circuit judges of the judicial circuit for the county or city. If a majority of the judges cannot agree, the senior judge shall make the appointment. Any vacancy occurring on a board shall be filled by the same authority for the unexpired term. In the event of the temporary absence, or disability that precludes the performance of duties, of one or more members that prevents attaining a quorum, the senior judge, for good cause, may appoint, on a meeting to meeting basis, a temporary member to the electoral board. The temporary appointee must be eligible for appointment and to the extent practicable maintain representation of political parties under §24.2-106. The clerk of the circuit court shall send to the State Board a copy of each order making an appointment to an electoral board.
In the appointment of the electoral board, representation
shall be given to each of the two political parties having the highest and next
highest number of votes in the Commonwealth for Governor at the last preceding gubernatorial
election. Two electoral board members shall be of the political party that
cast the highest number of votes for Governor at that election. One
electoral board member shall be of the political party having the highest
number of members in the House of Delegates, one electoral board member shall
be of the political party having the highest number of members in the Senate of
Virginia, and one electoral board member shall be of the political party of the
Governor. If all three members are of the same political party, one electoral
board member shall be of the political party having cast the next highest
number of votes in the Commonwealth for Governor at the last preceding
gubernatorial election. When the Governor was not elected as the candidate
of a political party, representation shall be given to each of the political
parties having the highest and next highest number of members of the General
Assembly at the time of the appointment and two board members shall be of the
political party having the highest number of members in the General Assembly.
The Each political party entitled to the an
appointment shall make and file recommendations with the judges for the
appointment not later than January 15 of the year of an appointment to a full
term or, in the case of an appointment to fill a vacancy, within 30 days of the
date of death or notice of resignation of the member being replaced. Its
recommendations shall contain the names of at least three qualified voters of
the county or city for each appointment. The judges shall promptly make such
appointment (i) after receipt of the political party's recommendation or (ii)
after January 15 for a full term or after the 30-day period expires for a
vacancy appointment, whichever of the events described in clause (i) or (ii)
first occurs.
The circuit judges of the judicial circuit for the county or
city shall not appoint to the electoral board (i) (a) any person
who is the spouse of an electoral board member or the general registrar for the
county or city, (ii); (b) any person, or the spouse of any
person, who is the parent, grandparent, sibling, child, or grandchild of an
electoral board member or the general registrar of the county or city,;
or (iii) (c) any person who is ineligible to serve under the
provisions of this section.
Electoral board members shall serve three-year terms and be appointed to staggered terms, one term to expire at midnight on the last day of February each year. No three-year term shall be shortened to comply with the political party representation requirements of this section.
The board shall elect one of its members as chairman and another as secretary. The chairman and the secretary shall represent different political parties, unless the representative of the second-ranked political party declines in writing to accept the unfilled office. At any time that the secretary is incapacitated in such a way that makes it impossible for the secretary to carry out the duties of the position, the board may designate one of its other members as acting secretary. Any such designation shall be made in an open meeting and recorded in the minutes of the board.
The secretary of the electoral board shall immediately notify the State Board of any change in the membership or officers of the electoral board and shall keep the Board informed of the name, residence and mailing addresses, and home and business telephone numbers of each electoral board member.
No member of an electoral board shall be eligible to offer for or hold an office to be filled in whole or in part by qualified voters of his jurisdiction. If a member resigns to offer for or hold such office, the vacancy shall be filled as provided in this section.
No member of an electoral board shall be the spouse, grandparent, parent, sibling, child, or grandchild, or the spouse of a grandparent, parent, sibling, child, or grandchild, of a candidate for or holder of an elective office filled in whole or in part by any voters within the jurisdiction of the electoral board.
No member of an electoral board shall serve as the chairman of a state, local or district level political party committee or as a paid worker in the campaign of a candidate for nomination or election to an office filled by election in whole or in part by the qualified voters of the jurisdiction of the electoral board.
Each member of the electoral board shall attend an annual training program provided by the State Board during the first year of his appointment and the first year of any subsequent reappointment.