Author: LWV-VA Communications
June 23, 2020 Primary Election
Tuesday, June 23 is Federal Primary Election Day for Virginia. If you haven’t voted Absentee, vote at your assigned polling location on Tuesday between 6am and 7pm. Some polling locations have changed temporarily due to COVID concerns–you should have received a notice from your local registrar if your polling location changed and you can check your registrar’s website. You must show a valid photo ID, like a Driver’s license. More details on candidates at VOTE411. Stay safe!
Happy Juneteenth!
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The League of Women Voters of Virginia formally celebrates and acknowledges June 19th as Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, or Emancipation Day– the oldest-known annual celebration of the ending of slavery in the United States. The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when the news finally reached African Americans in Gavelston, Texas that President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing slaves living in Confederate states two years earlier. When Union soldiers arrived in Galveston to bring the news that slavery had been abolished, former slaves celebrated, and thus Juneteenth was born.Voting By Mail? In May Election? Future Elections?
As you may know, the LWV-VA is a plaintiff in a lawsuit relating to the witness requirement in Virginia for absentee ballots. Are you concerned about trying to find a witness Read more
LWV-VA Stands with All Those Who Grieve the Loss of George Floyd
Press Release: “
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Read the full release here: https://mailchi.mp/lwv-va/lwv-va-stands-with-protestors-2900137?e=570653d714
June 2020 Virginia Voter
June 2020 VV is the final Virginia Voter for the 2019-2020 League year. It is full of important information.
June 2020 Virginia Voter
JUDGE RULES IN FAVOR OF VIRGINIA VOTERS
Julia Tanner, LWV-VA Action
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In a win for voting rights, a Lynchburg judge ruled today that absentee voters are relieved of the witness signature requirement for Virginia’s June 23 primaries.
“We are pleased the court saw the pressing need for relief for Virginia voters,” said Deb Wake, president of the League of Women Voters of Virginia, which brought legal action challenging the witness requirement during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Because of today’s decision, voters will be able to cast their ballots in safety without risking their health to locate a witness.”
Currently, Virginia voters choosing to vote absentee must open, mark, and refold their ballot in the presence of a witness, and then have the witness sign their ballot envelope. In light of COVID-19, this witness requirement would effectively bar many voters, including members of the League of Women Voters, from the ballot box, because the novel coronavirus is spread during close interpersonal contact. The witness rule jeopardized public health in exchange for access to voting, a pillar of our democracy.
Federal and state authorities support social distancing for public safety, including during elections. Virginia is under public health measures including a stay-at-home order and a self-quarantine recommendation for people over age 65.
Judge Moon’s consent decree today accepts a settlement between the plaintiffs and Attorney General Mark Herring in connection with the June 23 primaries. As a result, voters in Virginia’s June primary election may return their absentee ballots without a witness signature if they believe they cannot safely have a witness present.
Vishal Agraharkar, senior staff attorney with the ACLU of Virginia, stated, “We applaud the court’s decision to approve this reasonable compromise for the June primary. The State Board of Elections should do the right thing and waive the witness requirement for all other elections affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this and every election, eligible voters deserve more opportunities to vote and have their ballots counted.”
“The court’s action preserves the right to vote for Virginians who cannot risk their health to obtain a witness signature in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Davin Rosborough, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project. “This settlement is a common-sense solution that protects both public health and democracy.”
“Today’s decision was the right call to protect Virginia voters’ health as well as their right to vote,” said Chris Carson, president of the board of directors of the League of Women Voters of the United States. “As states around the country grapple with how to administer elections during the COVID pandemic, they should follow Virginia’s lead and put voters first.”
The League of Women Voters commended Judge Moon’s decision and urged voters to promptly request their absentee ballots from the Virginia Department of Elections or VOTE411.
Other media:
May 2020 Virginia Voter
Read our latest newsletter here! Vol. 67 No. 11 – May 2020 VV
After Advocates Note Discrepancy with Federal Law, Virginia Moves Primary Voter Registration Deadline to May 26
Janet Boyd, LWV-VA, Voter Services
4/28/2020
Virginia citizens have an additional eight days to register to vote in this year’s primary election, thanks to voting advocates from Fair Elections Center and the League of Women Voters of Virginia, who noticed a discrepancy between the original May 18 deadline and federal law. Once the Commonwealth’s Commissioner of Elections was notified, Gov. Ralph Northam moved the registration deadline to May 26.
As the groups noted in their letter, “the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA)… requires that voter registration applicants who submit valid applications postmarked or received by 30 days before a federal election must be registered in the election. For a June 23, 2020 election, voters must be allowed to register through and including Tuesday, May 26, 2020.”
“More voters tend to register as elections approach, so the NVRA serves as a backstop on lengthy deadlines that erect barriers to voter registration,” said Michelle Kanter Cohen, senior counsel with Fair Elections Center. “We are appreciative that election officials and the governor responded quickly once we identified this inconsistency, so that voters have the opportunity to register on the timeframe guaranteed to them under federal law.”
“We were pleased to work cooperatively with the Commissioner of Elections on this issue,” said Deb Wake, president of the League of Women Voters of Virginia. “The League works hard to make sure voters have the information they need to exercise their rights, and we look forward to informing our members and the public about the new deadline.”
As a consequence of the COVID-19 crisis, Gov. Northam exercised his authority to postpone this year’s primary, originally scheduled for June 9 to June 23. Recognizing that “[v]oting is a fundamental right and no one should have to choose between their health and safety and their right to vote,” Executive Order No. 56, postponed the election two weeks; however, the initial version of the order set the registration deadline at May 18, following a provision of Virginia state statute. That deadline was 36 days before the primary, and therefore inconsistent with federal law.
Following the letter from advocates, the governor amended the Executive Order to set the registration deadline at May 26, pursuant to the NVRA.
The new date has been updated on the state’s elections calendar, https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/calendars-schedules/upcoming-elections.html. The calendar also provides important information including deadlines to request and vote absentee ballots.