Virginia Election Bills (2026)
Virginia Election Bills (2026) — Suite of election-related bills introduced by Virginia Democrats in the 2026 General Assembly session.
Summary
Virginia Democrats introduced a sweeping package of election bills after gaining unified control of state government in 2025. Critics describe them as a comprehensive effort to entrench Democratic power; supporters frame them as voting rights protections.
Bills
HB111 — Ban Voter Roll Cleanup
Bans future attempts to clean up voter rolls. This comes after Governor Glenn Youngkin's administration identified 6,303 non-citizens on Virginia voter rolls in 2024, and the DOJ sued Virginia for removing them.
HB968 — Ban Hand-Counted Ballots
Makes it illegal to hand-count ballots in Virginia elections.
HJ4 — Congressional Gerrymandering
Proposes a new congressional map that would give Democrats a 10-1 or 9-2 advantage in Virginia's Congressional delegation. This is connected to a broader redistricting amendment pushed through by Democrats in October 2025.
HB965 — National Popular Vote Compact
Joins the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which would allocate Virginia's electoral college votes to the winner of the national popular vote rather than the state popular vote.
HB493 — Internet Voting
Allows votes to be cast "electronically through the internet."
HB773 / HB82 — Extend Ballot Counting
HB773 allows mail-in ballots to be counted one week after election day. HB82 allows absentee ballots to be received and counted for three days after election day.
HB1348 — Hide Late Campaign Contributions
Eliminates the requirement that large last-minute campaign contributions be publicly reported at least 24 hours before election day.
HB1321 — Weaken Election Enforcement
Removes the State Board of Elections' ability to dispatch law enforcement officers to collect vote tallies from a locality that refuses to publish them.
HB964, HB963, HB1014 — Felon and Mentally Handicapped Voting
Automatic restoration of voting rights for felons after release from prison. Also extends voting rights to the mentally handicapped.
HB162 — Public Campaign Funding
Public funding of political campaigns at the local level.
Context
These bills follow a 2024 controversy where the DOJ sued Virginia for removing non-citizens from voter rolls under Governor Youngkin's executive order, and a federal judge ordered the reinstatement of over 1,500 individuals just 11 days before the 2024 presidential election.
Legislative Status (as of Feb 18, 2026)
- HB82: Elections; absentee ballot deadline — ✅ Passed House (in Senate) | Patron: Adele Y. McClure
- HB111: Voter registration cancellation — ✅ Passed House (in Senate) | Patron: Amy J. Laufer
- HB493: Electronic absentee voting pilot — ⏸️ Continued to 2027 Session | Patron: Patrick A. Hope
- HB773: Absentee voting cure process — ✅ Passed House (in Senate) | Patron: Virgil Thornton
- HB963: Constitutional amendment; voting rights — ✅ Signed by Governor | Patron: Marcia S. "Cia" Price
- HB964: Voter registration restoration upon release — ✅ Passed House (in Senate) | Patron: Marcia S. "Cia" Price
- HB965: National Popular Vote Compact — ✅ Passed House (in Senate) | Patron: Marcia S. "Cia" Price
- HB968: Election results; machine-readable ballots — ✅ Passed House (in Senate) | Patron: Marcia S. "Cia" Price
- HB1321: Primaries; abstract of votes — ✅ Passed House (in Senate) | Patron: Bonita G. Anthony
- HB1348: Campaign finance; large pre-election contributions — ✅ Passed House (in Senate) | Patron: Holly M. Seibold
- HJ4: Constitutional amendment; redistricting — ✅ Signed by Governor | Patron: Rodney T. Willett
- HJ6007: Constitutional amendment; redistricting (pre-session) — ✅ Signed by Governor | Patron: Rodney T. Willett (D-HD73)