Bill Text: VA HJR2 | 2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Constitutional amendment; qualifications of voters, right to vote, persons not entitled to vote.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 53-0)
Status: (Passed) 2025-01-31 - Read third time [HJR2 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2025-HJR2-Introduced.html
24101042D
\r\n\r\nHOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 2\r\n
\r\n\r\nOffered January 10, 2024\r\n
\r\n\r\nPrefiled November 20, 2023\r\n
\r\nProposing an amendment to Section 1 of Article II of the \r\n Constitution of Virginia, relating to qualifications of voters; right to vote; \r\n persons not entitled to vote.
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\r\n\r\nPatrons-- Bennett-Parker, Anthony, Askew, Bulova, Callsen, Carr, Clark,\r\nCohen, Cole, Convirs-Fowler, Cousins, Delaney, Feggans, Helmer, Henson,\r\nHernandez, Hope, Jones, Keys-Gamarra, Krizek, Laufer, LeVere Bolling,\r\nLopez, Maldonado, Martinez, McClure, Price, Rasoul, Reaser, Seibold,\r\nSewell, Shin, Sickles, Simon, Simonds, Srinivasan, Thomas, Ward, Watts and\r\nWillett; Senator: McPike\r\n
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\r\n\r\nReferred to Committee on Privileges and Elections\r\n
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\r\n \r\n \nRESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, a majority \r\n of the members elected to each house agreeing, That the following amendment to \r\n the Constitution of Virginia be, and the same hereby is, proposed and referred \r\n to the General Assembly at its first regular session held after the next \r\n general election of members of the House of Delegates for its concurrence in \r\n conformity with the provisions of Section 1 of Article XII of the Constitution \r\n of Virginia, namely:
\r\n \r\n \nAmend Section 1 of Article II of the Constitution of Virginia \r\n as follows:
\r\n \r\n \nARTICLE II
\r\n \r\n \nFRANCHISE AND OFFICERS
\r\n \r\n \nSection 1. Qualifications of voters.
\r\n \r\n \n(a) In \r\n elections by the people, the qualifications of voters shall be as follows: Each \r\n voter shall be a citizen of the United States, shall be eighteen years of age, \r\n shall fulfill the residence requirements set forth in this \r\n section subsection (b), \r\n and shall be registered to vote pursuant to this article. Every \r\n person who meets these qualifications shall have the fundamental right to vote \r\n in the Commonwealth, and such right shall not be abridged by law, except that:
(1) No \r\n person who has been convicted of a felony shall be \r\n qualified entitled \r\n to vote unless his civil rights have been restored by the \r\n Governor or other appropriate authority. during any period of incarceration for such felony \r\n conviction, but every such person, upon release from incarceration for that \r\n felony conviction and without further action required of him, shall be invested \r\n with all political rights, including the right to vote; and
As prescribed by law, no (2) No person who has been adjudicated to be mentally incompetent by a court of competent jurisdiction to lack the \r\n capacity to understand the act of voting shall be qualified \r\n entitled to vote during such period of \r\n incapacity until his competency capacity has been \r\n reestablished as prescribed by law.
(b) The \r\n residence requirements shall be that each voter shall be a resident of the \r\n Commonwealth and of the precinct where he votes. Residence, for all purposes of \r\n qualification to vote, requires both domicile and a place of abode. The General \r\n Assembly may provide for persons who are employed overseas, and their spouses \r\n and dependents residing with them, and who are qualified to vote except for \r\n relinquishing their place of abode in the Commonwealth while overseas, to vote \r\n in the Commonwealth subject to conditions and time limits defined by law. The \r\n General Assembly may provide for persons who are qualified to vote except for \r\n having moved their residence from one precinct to another within the \r\n Commonwealth to continue to vote in a former precinct subject to conditions and \r\n time limits defined by law. The General Assembly may also provide, in elections \r\n for President and Vice President of the United States, alternatives to \r\n registration for new residents of the Commonwealth.
\r\n \r\n \n(c) Any \r\n person who will be qualified with respect to age to vote at the next general \r\n election shall be permitted to register in advance and also to vote in any \r\n intervening primary or special election.
\r\n \r\n \n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n","DraftTitle":"Proposing an amendment to Section 1 of Article II of the \r\n Constitution of Virginia, relating to qualifications of voters; right to vote; \r\n persons not entitled to vote.
\r\n24101042D
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