Bill Text: VA HB1421 | 2020 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Pollbooks; requirement for printed copies.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2020-03-11 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0297) [HB1421 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2020-HB1421-Chaptered.html
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §§24.2-610 and 24.2-611 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:
§24.2-610. Materials at polling places.
A. The State Board Department shall provide
copies of this title to each member of the electoral boards and to each general
registrar for each precinct in the county or city. The general registrar shall
furnish a copy of this title to each precinct for the use of the officers of
election on election day.
B. Pursuant to subdivision A 7 of §24.2-404, the State
Board Department shall transmit to the general registrar of each
county and city pollbooks for each precinct in which the election is to be
held. For each primary and general election, the general registrar shall
produce and distribute a printed copy of the pollbook to each precinct. The
data elements printed or otherwise provided for each voter on the pollbooks
shall be uniform throughout the Commonwealth.
C. The electoral board, general registrar, and officers of election shall comply with the requirements of this title and the instructions of the State Board to ensure that the pollbooks, ballots, voting equipment keys, and other materials and supplies required to conduct the election are delivered to the polling place before 6:00 a.m. on the day of the election and delivered to the proper official following the election.
§24.2-611. Form and signing of pollbooks; records of persons voting; electronic pollbooks.
A. The following oath shall be on a form prescribed by the State Board, administered to all officers of election, and kept by the officers of election with the pollbook:
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will perform the duties for this election according to law and the best of my ability, and that I will studiously endeavor to prevent fraud, deceit, and abuse in conducting this election."
The oath shall be administered to each officer of election by the general registrar, a member of the electoral board, or an officer of election designated by the general registrar and secretary of the electoral board, who shall be so identified on the form. The oath shall be signed by each officer of election and the person administering the oath. The pollbook shall be marked to identify the election for which it is used.
B. The State Board Department shall provide the
pollbook pursuant to subdivision A 7 of §24.2-404. The pollbook shall (i)
provide a space for the officer of election to record the name and consecutive
number of the voter at the time he offers to vote and (ii) be retained in
accordance with the provisions governing pollbooks in this title. The State
Board Department shall make available a numerical check sheet
required to be used with pollbooks in printed form to determine the consecutive
number to be recorded with the name of the voter by the officer of election. In
electronic pollbooks, the consecutive number shall be entered automatically
when the officer of election records that the voter has voted. When the name
and number of the last qualified voter have been entered on the pollbook, the
officer of election responsible for that pollbook shall sign a statement on the
check sheet, or on a separate form if an electronic pollbook is used,
certifying the number of qualified registrants who have voted. The State
Board Department shall provide instructions to the local electoral
boards, general registrars, and officers of election for the conduct of the
election and for procedures for entering a voting record for each voter and
recording each voter's name, including voters unable to enter the polling
place, and for verifying the accurate entry of the voting record for each
registrant on the Virginia Voter Registration System. Notwithstanding any other
provision of this title, for any election held on or after November 1, 2010
2020, all pollbooks provided by the State Board Department
shall be in electronic form only.
C. The State Board Department shall incorporate
safeguards to assure that the records of the election, including the pollbook,
voter count sheets, or other alternative records, will provide promptly an
accurate and secure record of those who have voted.
D. Any locality may expend its own funds to purchase electronic pollbooks that have been approved for use in elections by the State Board.
E. The general registrar shall produce a paper copy of the pollbook specified in subsection B for each precinct in any primary or general election.
F. In the event that the electronic pollbooks for a precinct fail to operate properly and no alternative voter list or pollbook is available, the officers of election, in accordance with the instructions and materials approved by the State Board, shall (i) maintain a written list of the persons voting and (ii) provide to each person voting a provisional ballot to be cast as provided in §24.2-653.
