Scorecard Questions

In 1993, Congress passed the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The NVRA pioneered a new way to register to vote in America: It required most states to provide citizens with an opportunity to register to vote when applying for or renewing a driver's license at a department of motor vehicles (DMV) or other designated state agencies. Because of the requirement for DMVs to participate in voter registration, the NVRA is often referred to as “motor voter.” Virginia passed its most recent version of the “motor voter” bill in 2020. Automatic voter registration removes barriers to registration for eligible voters, a step toward increasing voter participation. Automatic registration can also help with voter registration list maintenance because the process updates existing registrations with current addresses. NVRA is often referred to as “motor voter.” Virginia passed its most recent version of the “motor voter” bill in 2020. Automatic voter registration removes barriers to registration for eligible voters, a step toward increasing voter participation. Automatic registration can also help with voter registration list maintenance because the process updates existing registrations with current addresses.

Studies show that same-day voter registration increases voter turnout; 27 states offer this service, and since 2022, Virginia is one of them. Beginning with the 2022 General Election, the Virginia General Assembly approved legislation allowing eligible voters to register at any time, up to and including Election Day. Voters in Virginia have the ability to register to vote in person and immediately cast a provisional ballot on election day. The general registrar's office for a voter's specific locality will research whether a voter is qualified and eligible to vote. They will then forward the ballot, and the information gathered, to the electoral board to review and approve or deny. Prior to 2022, registration was closed for 21 days before an election and there was no ability to register to vote after this deadline. Effective July 2025, fuelled by a 2024 bill to address ongoing efforts to enhance the accessibility and efficiency of the electoral process in Virginia, this registration closure period has been shortened to ten days, but as before, citizens can also register to vote the day of the elections.

Virginia, along with 45 other states, offers in-person early-voting. Legislation passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2020 permits any registered voter to vote by absentee ballot in person, via mail, or at local drop boxes, in any election in which he or she is qualified to vote.  Virginia also extended the early voting period to 45 days before an election.  The bill removed the previous list of statutory reasons under which a person may be entitled to vote by absentee ballot. These changes have greatly enhanced early voting turnout, with over two million Virginians, 51.4% of total ballots cast in 2024, compared to around 350,000 early voters, or 10.0% of total ballots cast, in 2018.

Virginia is one of three states whose constitution disenfranchises citizens with past felony convictions. This disenfranchisement provision dates to the 19th century—having deep roots in the history of post-Civil War discrimination against newly-freed African Americans. Advocates have pushed for change for years, urging Virginia governors to exercise their executive authority to restore voting rights, yet Virginians who have been convicted are still subject to the whims of the Governor. Efforts in previous legislative sessions to put the issue up to a public referendum to change the Virginia Constitution to automatically restore voting rights have failed. This issue has received bipartisan support in the past, with Governors from both parties working to restore voting rights. This amendment (HJ2) passed out of the 2025 General Assembly and has to pass again in 2026 before being put on the ballot for voters to decide. For more information, click here .

Ranked Choice Voting is a simple change to the ballot that allows voters to more thoroughly express their preferences by ranking their top candidates. In a race with more than two candidates, it's possible under the current system for a candidate to win without a majority. With RCV, if no candidate wins a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated. Those who voted for the eliminated candidate then have their vote transferred to their next choice. transferred to their next choice. This process continues until a candidate reaches the majority threshold. RCV is currently used statewide in Maine and Alaska, and in self-selected localities across the country. RCV is currently allowed in Virginia for certain local elections. RCV has been shown to increase voter turnout and elect more nontraditional candidates, including women and people of color.

The 2010 Citizens United ruling by the Supreme Court opened a floodgate of money coming into state elections, including money from foreign entities. But Virginia citizens, and all Americans, irrespective of party, feel that full disclosure of funding from independent expenditures entities, i.e. those monies not directly coordinated with candidate campaigns, needs to be fully disclosed. This includes the actual names of donors who are trying to influence our elections through “dark money groups”. These groups are currently not obliged to reveal their donors. Polling undertaken by the VA Wason Center in 2021 shows that 88 percent of Virginians, irrespective of party, support full disclosure. The Supreme Court, while opening the door to money from corporations and special interests going into our elections, has consistently voted to support full disclosure, recognizing that it is in the public good.

The federal government and 45 states have in place limits on campaign contributions, including donations from individuals, corporations, unions, and, in some cases, public utilities. Virginia is one of only five states which have no limits at all. (Other states with no limits include Oregon, Utah, Alabama and Nebraska; however, Oregon is set to put in place limits in 2027.) This lack of limits has resulted in the amount of money spent on Virginia elections being among the highest in the country. For example, the expenditures during the 2023 legislative campaign surpassed $190 million, higher than for elections in California, Texas and Florida, with a per capita (per voter) expenditure estimated at $22, the estimated at $22, the highest in the nation.

Public financing of elections, which is totally voluntary, has been introduced in over 14 states and over 25 local jurisdictions, including in neighboring Maryland. Public financing of elections has been shown to reduce the influence of large corporate and wealthy third-party donors while addressing many of the problems - secrecy, corporate money, and undue influence - that are the focus of money-in-politics reform efforts. The main objectives of public financing of elections are to provide small donors with a stronger voice, broaden participation among the public at large, and to encourage new and diverse candidates to seek public office, particularly in districts with limited sources of campaign funds. These programs don't restrict political spending and when implemented as optional programs are deemed constitutional.

The 10th amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides the basis for each state government's control over state and local elections, including campaign finance. However, over the last half century, Supreme Court rulings have increasingly restricted the ability of Congress and the states to regulate election spending. The Citizens United ruling in 2010 struck down the nearly century-long federal prohibitions on independent expenditures by corporations and unions, resulting in 22 states revising their campaign finance legislation. This ruling unleashed a flood of spending on elections, often coming in the form of "dark money", i.e. contributions undisclosed to the public. Public polling shows that an amendment to the U.S. Constitution which would allow Congress and the states to regain control of election spending is favored by nearly 80 percent of Americans, irrespective of party. To date, 22 states, representing 141 million Americans, have passed state resolutions asking for action toward this goal.

While most legislators carry out their work in an ethical manner, Virginia has no responsible mechanism to enforce its ethics laws. In fact, a 2019 report by the Coalition for Integrity on Enforcement of Ethics Rules by State Ethics Agencies found that Virginia's ethics agencies could not be graded on their performance because they have no legal authority to enforce ethics laws. Consequently, the powers and resources of the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council should be broadened to include the legal authority and staff necessary to investigate potential violations and take action to force compliance.