The Virginian-Pilot
©
RICHMOND
The latest attempts to allow early voting and easier absentee voting in Virginia faltered out of the gate Monday while a measure to restore voting rights to nonviolent felons barely survived.
A Republican-controlled House subcommittee tabled most of the bills, which means they likely won't return in the six-week legislative session that started Wednesday. Similar bills have failed in past years.
Republicans argued that the 17 excuses people can use to cast an absentee ballot before an election already address the conflicts people may have.
"Just because you don't feel like voting" on Election Day isn't a good enough reason for early voting, said Del. John Cosgrove, R-Chesapeake, chairman of the subcommittee that tabled the bills.
Virginia Board of Elections Secretary Nancy Rodrigues supported the measures. She said the absentee form is becoming an "administrative nightmare" for time-sapped registrars, and the proposals are popular with the public.
"At some point we just have to recognize the fact that Virginians are very, very much in favor of voting early," Rodrigues said.
About 500,000 Virginians cast an absentee ballot for the recent general election, and election officials say they know some of them bent the truth - if not outright lied - on their forms to do so.
Del. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, joined Cosgrove and two other Republicans in party-line-voting to table the "no-excuse" absentee and early voting bills. Jones said early voting has not increased turnout in other states.
Later, another House subcommittee considered a constitutional amendment to let the General Assembly restore voting rights to nonviolent felons after they have served their sentences. Virginia and Kentucky are the only states where felons lose their voting rights for life unless they petition the governor.
The issue arises perennially in the General Assembly.
This time, a standing-room-only crowd of supporters witnessed a minor victory. The subcommittee approved the measure 4-3, sending it to a full committee vote.
"Pleasantly surprised," Adisa Muse of the Virginia Voter Restoration Project said of his reaction. The resolution must pass both the House and Senate this year and next because it would be a constitutional amendment. Then it would go to a public referendum.
Del. Jeff Frederick, R-Prince William County, said he didn't expect the resolution to advance any further. Frederick, the state GOP chairman, could have cast a tying vote to stop it from leaving the subcommittee, but he said he wasn't present because of a miscommunication and scheduling conflict.
Dave Forster, (757) 477-6386, dave.forster@pilotonline.com
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Mr. Barrett
I don't think it's a myth at all. The democrats have always opposed people having to prove who they were before they were allowed to vote. This is what's regretable. There is no consitituional right to vote in a FEDERAL election (see Bush v Gore SCOTUS). I believe a non-violent felon should have ALL of their rights (including firearms) restored after they have served their sentences. I don't believe that a violent felon who has robbed, raped, amimed, or murdered should EVER be able to vote. Mike you are touting that "democracy" mob rule in a coat and tie and border-line communism sir. What's in the public's interest and common good depends on point of view. I support individual rights and I am an independent thinker. The presidency has gone from pompous and border-line dictatorial to the other extreme of pinko socialism. So I have nothing to be excited about. Until this country returns to true Constitutional government, then it makes no difference whose party is in office. BTW, BOTH parties gerrymander districts Mike.
Early Voting Legislation
Aside from the supreme irony of Republican accusing others of voting fraud after the last two presidential elections, the reason for opposition to expanding voting rights is obvious. You would hope politicians would be capable of learning.
Another issue that does not seem to make an impression is that it appears the electorate is fed up with the support of corporate business interests at the expense of tax-payers as whole. As a point of information, Mr. Frederick, who is quoted in the article, just submitted a bill to repeal local business taxes. (House Bill 2205). Since this is a locality's only major source of local revenue other than real estate property taxes, repeal would mean that essentially all services of a local government would be paid by homeowners, while businesses will pay little or nothing. And this at a time when the State Budget deficit will result in an increase of the steady flow of unfunded mandates to a torrent.
Early voting = Voter Fraud
Can you say ACORN? Lying Obama claims he had no affiliation them, then flops and says he represented them as an Attorney. Democrats have been committing voter fraud for years. That's why they were so angry when Pres Bush won TWICE because they committed all that voter fraud and still lost! Minnesota has committed fraud with the BIG LIBB Al Franken. Democrats stand for nothing therefore anything goes when they are caught and they refuse to step down or leave office. No sham.... Obama's tax cheater Timothy Geithner. No shame Obama's crooked Gov of IL Rod Blagojevich. Early voting just another way to get fraud votes..."in the case of mail-in ballots is the greater likelihood of fraud, instances of which are described by Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund in his book Stealing Elections. There is NO WAY to guarantee that mail-in ballots will be filled in by the voter to whom they are addressed. They potentially enable a voter in a national election to cast his vote in multiple states. Nor is there any way to guarantee that a mail-in ballot remains secret, or even that it will be counted, since it doesn’t leave a record.
What a shame that Keith
What a shame that Keith would continue to perpetuate such a myth. Clearly, this nation is in a period of rejoicing that we have elected a President who appears to want to be the leader of our entire nation, not just those who support his agenda 100% of the time. A President who has reached out even to those who were rejected at the polls. A President who speaks to the most lowly of us, those who have been incarcerated but who have paid their debt to society. Would you continue to deny them the right to vote? Apparently you would. That's regretable, and indicates why you would support a system of establishing voting districts that discourage voting, which separate those with common interests, and which stereotype districts and encourage one party voting. When will we reestablish a zeal for the common good, for acting in the public interest, for doing what is best for Virginia, not just for the party? I hope that day will come soon.
One reason it was probably
One reason it was probably tabled was to keep dead people from voting. Dead people and felons has usually been the way democrats can get their candidates elected.
very good news
Nice job by the writer/editor spinning this along party lines, thus obfuscating the true message. And throwing in the Senior vote, which has never been discussed but is available to those who qualify under one of the existing 17(!) conditions. This was the right and thoughtful decision for the Commonwealth. Not even partisan ranting can take away from that fact. Early voting is to be approached deliberately and thoughtfully, not on a whim in the momentum of "change." Be well.
Turn back the clock
I suspect this is just one of many examples of the intrasigence and turn back the clock mentality of the majority party in the House of Delegates. Regretfully, once they gained the majority, and elected Bill Howell as their Speaker, it appears as if we all actually have only one delegate in the entire House; that is, what the Speaker says is what the Speaker gets, no matter what some other Delegate would do, you only get Howell. In fact, while each of the Beach delegates in his party is a decent and honorable person, regretfully, I could not vote to return any of them to the House. Howell has presided over the most dramatic deterioration of the public infrasstructure in the history of the Commonwealth, and there is not one thing that a Beach Delegate has done to stop that. His mantra is to serve the party, not the public interest, and we Virginians deserve more.
Early voting tabled
I am not surprised that the early voting issues were tabled by the republicans. After suffering a national butt whooping, why make it easier for the infirmed, elderly and people who have felt left out in our political process to participate. This from the same party that favored poll tax and anything else to only make sure that their elite can make it on the appointed day. Just more of the same crap from the same crappy party.
Knuckleheads
65 and over tabled? Why? You four Repubs that voted to table are just the type that SHAME my party. You are exactly the reason we continue to lose elections! Well guess what? My brain is just about finished downloading the Obama Service Pack 1 and I'll be crossing over at the next voting opportunity as I expect many others will do too. You still have time to pull your heads out of the sand and wake up but based on past history I don't hold much hope. Unbelievable!