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2020 Session

Budget Amendments - HB30 (Member Request)

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Chief Patron: Carr
Improved State Supervision of Local Election Administration and Development

Item 86 #3h

Item 86 #3h

First Year - FY2021 Second Year - FY2022
Administration
Department of Elections FY2021 $90,000 FY2022 $90,000 GF
FY2021 1.00 FY2022 1.00 FTE

Language
Page 75, line 49, strike "$16,866,760" and insert "$16,956,760".
Page 75, line 49, strike "$16,719,722" and insert "$16,809,722".

Page 76, after line 40, insert:

"I. The Department of Elections shall develop and implement a plan to improve its supervision of local election administration. The plan shall identify the supervision activities the department will undertake to ensure election uniformity, legality, and purity across all localities. Supervision activities shall ensure each general registrar's operations result in adequate voter registration, election day preparation, election day operations, and other key aspects of election administration. The department shall prioritize its supervision activities to identify and address the most substantial risks to election uniformity, legality, and purity. The department's supervision shall be a combination of periodically reviewing data and documentation from and about general registrar operations, and physically visiting general registrar offices and meeting with staff to ascertain the office's capabilities to adequately administer upcoming elections. $90,000 of this appropriation shall be used by the department to hire 1 additional staff person to develop and implement a local general registrar certification program, as part of its local supervision responsibilities. The certification program shall augment the department's ongoing training program by resulting in a highly competent, well-trained general registrar workforce certified as experts in effectively administering elections in Virginia. To inform development of the supervision plan and the certification program, the department shall identify and learn from other states that have successfully implemented similar initiatives. To ensure improved state supervision and the certification program are feasible and adequately incorporate the varying general registrar offices sizes and capabilities, the department shall consult with general registrars and local electoral boards during the development of the plan and certification program. The department shall submit (i) its plan to improve supervision of local election administration and (ii) summary information about its general registrar certification program to the House Privileges and Elections Committee no later than November 1, 2020."



Explanation

(This amendment requires the Department of Election to develop and implement a plan to improve its supervision of local election administration. It provides $90,000 from the general fund in each year and 1 position to support the development of this plan.)