Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine wants to remove restrictions on early voting, arguing the change would cut down on Election Day logjams and open up the ballot box to more Virginians.
The bills are part of a broader legislative package Kaine is rolling out ahead of the 2009 legislative session, the last session of the governor’s four-year term.
Under the proposal, a registered voter could walk into a county office during the 45-day absentee voting period before the election and cast a ballot without providing a reason for why he can’t be there on Election Day. Existing law requires any absentee voter to meet one of 17 requirements, including disability or pregnancy.
Kaine, in a statement, said the change would “remove some of the practical barriers that prevent people from participating in the democratic process.” The bill is being carried in the Senate by Sen. Janet Howell, D-Reston, and in the House by Del. Rosalyn Dance, D-Petersburg, and is backed by the League of Women Voters of Virginia, the Virginia Electoral Board Association and the Voter Registrars Association of Virginia.
More than 30 states already allow some form of “no-excuse” early voting, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Voters casting their absentee ballot by mail would still need to meet one of the requirements under the proposals.
Similar bills were stopped dead in their tracks last year by the GOP-controlled House Privileges and Elections Committee, after passing the Democratic-majority Virginia Senate.
In the November presidential election, 320,000 Virginians cast early absentee ballots in person.
