Virginia House panel rejects registration by party

RICHMOND

An effort to allow Virginia voters to register by party affiliation was shot down today by a House of Delegates subcommittee.

Del. James LeMunyon’s bill, HB628, would have added party affiliation to the information an applicant is asked to provide when registering to vote. If they wish, applicants could choose to be listed as independent or undesignated.

LeMunyon, R-Fairfax County, said the measure would streamline the nominating process by making it easier for the parties to identify their likely voters.

But Del. Jackson Miller, R-Manassas, the subcommittee chairman, said he feared the bill might have the unintended effect of dampening voter participation.

“I’m starting to realize,” he said, “that more and more Virginians don’t want to labeled Democrat or Republican.”

The measure was rejected on a 3-2 vote and will advance no further. All delegates present for the vote were Republicans.