Kaine: Make voting easier
Clement Britt / Times-Dispatch
Governor Tim Kaine is proposing changes to Virginia’s election law to make absentee voting easier.
-- Gov. Timothy M. Kaine proposed legislation yesterday to allow no-excuse, in-person absentee balloting in Virginia -- a step he said that effectively would allow early voting in the state.
Kaine described the measure as "a good-government bill" with "a fraud-free environment."
Current law offers prospective voters 17 reasons for casting an absentee ballot, whether in person or by mail, over a 45-day period ahead of an election.
About 500,000 Virginians cast absentee ballots ahead of the Nov. 4 election -- 321,743 of them in person. On Nov. 1, the last day to vote absentee in person, some people stood in line for six hours at Richmond's City Hall.
The absentee ballots were among 3.7 million votes cast in Virginia in the presidential election.
"By allowing all voters to cast an absentee ballot in person, we can remove some of the practical barriers that prevent people from participating in the democratic process," Kaine said during a news conference at the state Capitol.
Twenty-six other states allow voters some period in which to cast a vote in advance without stating a reason, according to Kaine's office.
In Virginia, the no-excuse proposal has been introduced previously and killed by a House of Delegates subcommittee controlled by Republicans.
"Voting is easy," said Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick, R-Prince William, noting current law allows Virginians many excuses to cast absentee ballots. He said he is concerned that the no-excuse feature might lead to fraud.
"Voting is a responsibility, it should not be like shopping the Internet," Frederick said, emphasizing that he was speaking for himself and not on behalf of the Republican Party of Virginia, of which he is chairman.
Del. Mark L. Cole, R-Spotsylvania, chairman of the House committee that handles voting issues, said registrars last year complained they would have to add staff and increase their costs if the measure passed.
Under the Kaine proposal, voters would continue to have a 45-day period to vote early and would cast ballots at their registrar's office.
Kaine said momentum from the presidential election, which spurred a record turnout and record number of absentee votes in Virginia, plus the fact that House of Delegates Republicans have decided to allow recorded votes in subcommittees, improves the bill's chances in the General Assembly session that begins Wednesday.
A subcommittee of the House Privileges and Elections Committee killed the measure without a recorded vote last year, after it passed the Senate 31-9.
The League of Women Voters, the Virginia Electoral Board Association, and the Voter Registrars Association of Virginia back the measure.
Kaine said the proposal could save money, because election officials wouldn't have to buy new voting equipment to accommodate heavy voting on Election Day and won't have to hire as much staff to work at the polls.
Dels. Rosalyn R. Dance, D-Petersburg, and Robert H. Brink, D-Arlington, will sponsor the measure in the House. Sen. Janet D. Howell, D-Fairfax, is the Senate sponsor.
Kaine dismissed criticism that early voting might lock a voter into an unfortunate choice because of late-breaking news detrimental to the candidate.
"Voters who go to vote early only go when they've made up their mind. If they're still trying to decide, they don't," he said.
Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or
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zerro- It’s 5 max with only 2 consecutive at a time… soo that means 2 years on, one year off, two years on, one year off, one year on, no more, or some combinations there of 2-2-1, 2-1-2, 1-2-2.
GHGIRL,,felon,,most felons never even voted to start with,,and i,m sure the murder,rapist,drugist,,could care less about voting,,so you guys/gals are just putting way to much on that voting block,,that makes up 1/10 of 1% of the voting population,,and just how many elections have won by such close margins,,,very good METOO,,u r so right ,,its 1/10 of 1 % of the voting population !!,,and HONEYCHILD,,just pack your carpetbag jersey suitcase and go home,,honeychild is a southern term of dearment,,so you flunk that one !!he he ha ,,and now to the STRIKE 3 u r out laws,,most 3 rd covictions automaticlly become a felon,,just ask any shoplifter, and DUI,bad ck,s etc etc,,and i think the max yrs for welfare is 2 yrs,,not 5,,and the state does all it can to get you in the work force within that 2 yr period,,or you loose your kids to family or protective services,,of course all that is to change with the depression we are entering into,,((2 more yrs of downturn)),,and to use your logic,,then we must stop all globial food aide to 3 rd world countries that have a 75% unemployment for years and years like Haiti,,1/3 Africa,,1/3 Asia,,etc etc ,,so apply to the world what you apply and expect of your very own,,or get the heck out of my wallet,,and you all failed to mention Kuwait,,which provides everything ,,from pre-natal til death medical/prescription drug FREE,,from pre-school to a 4 yr college degree,,FREE,,collect no taxes,,but gives a rebate check to each citizen,,the KING gives a share of the nations(kingdoms) wealth!!pay 45 cents for a gal of gas..and we faught GW1 to preserve that KINDOM,,AND ITS KING !!((they paid us back except for the blood loss ))and that KING ,and monarch kingdom accomplished this all in 60 yrs,,,what HONEYCHILD ,,do we have for our 230 yr democracy !!thats your homework !!now get-er-done!!
Price of tea in China? I haven’t written anything about China in any of my posts.
Metoo.
Of course I have taken courses in government. I am not sure what that has to do with the price of tea in China. I am well aware that I would not have been able to vote. However, it’s like allowing people of different races to wed. That was once against the law, but we know better now.
I just wish there was a way to people who can’t manage their own lives from trying to influence government and as a result my life. Felons obviously are one group. People who habitually rely on public assistance to live probably also fall into the category of poor decision makers. (I noted an obvious exclusion of the elderly because they “paid in” through life work so obviously there are exceptions that would be completely acceptable) How about we agree to disagree. If you think that all the people on welfare are there just because of bad luck, fine.. that is your opinion. Mine does differ. I also know it is unrealistic to think that something like this would be implemented. There is nothing wrong with lamenting that too many poor decision makers get to influence our government. Just my own opinion.
Gee.. Zerro.. just read your post too. I don’t think shoplifting a 10 dollar item will net you a felony. Martha Stewart did time and there are a lot of people that do at that level. There are a lot of the petty criminals that “get off” too with warnings or community service. I am not a “honeychild” by the way, but a hardworking American more than twice the legal age to vote. I never said it was a black/white issue.. never said a VET wouldn’t be allowed to vote. My point was that making poor decisions that put you in jail..or on the dole (not saying they are the SAME thing, but the same poor choices often result in the same end result), you might not be an ideal candidate for impacting the government since you can’t manage to make the basic decision to live your life responsibly (ie education, job, etc..)
I doubt that this idea would ever get traction. There are too many people who are willing to sit back and wait for things to be given to them. Many of the people who are now in the “rich” column were once poor and struggling themselves and made sacrifices to get where they are. Believe me, I have eaten more than my share of ramen noodles and bean&rice;.
First let me go ahead and correct myself, I misunderstood something I read before. It was reaffirmed via special session (summer I believe) that felons were disenfranchised for life and the reaffirmation took effect Oct 2008 (like bills that get passed now are effective July 1). I asked a friend of mine who works for an organization that lobbies the general assembly concerning issues people face when released from prison and or have felony convictions. Here’s what he said. According to law (http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+24.2-427) convicted felons in VA are disenfranchised for life, unless the governor restores their civil rights. A pardon does not automatically restore this. Most people who were convicted many years ago on a minor felony (many many minor drug related felonies have since been reduced to misdemeanors) have had their voting rights restored because as the law stands today what they were guilty of is no longer considered a felony. In other words, someone who had a teeny amount of dope in their pocket in like 1986 would be a felony, but in 2008 it would just be a misdemeanor. No murders, rapists, career drug dealers, smugglers, etc would have their voting rights restored. You can google “do felons have the right to vote in Virginia” and get all kinds of hits… just make sure you pick the legit sites and not wiki or a blog!
GHGIRL. I said “Perhaps, GHGIRL, you’d like to go back to 1800 when only white men from the right family could vote. Need I remind you that (if your screen name is accurate) you are a woman, who would once have been banned from voting simply because of what’s between your legs.“ Copied directly from my post. Please explain to me how that is racist or sexist. In 1800 only white men from the right families could vote… that’s a fact. I’m GLAD it’s not the current! I’m also saying you should be thankful that people fought hard to get everyone the right to vote, because if you were alive in 1800, you wouldn’t have been voting! Did you ever take a government class in school?
MeToo-You will have to educate me. I looked at Gen. Assembly site and see only 2 special sessions, March and June 2008. There were some budget and other items in October. And search of the Code of Va. shows no such law? Or are you speeking of a federal law? Doubt there was anything done on this in 2008 with the elections going on. Please provide your source or basis for saying felons disenfranchised for life?
Metoo… Actually you did bring up race and gender in your post.
As I mentioned, in my original post..there obviously would be exceptions etc.. I also mentioned my idea was for temporary revoking until off the assistance. That would mean if like you said that people are on aid for a max of 5 years.. they would only have this restriction for a limited time. Also, you could put limits like if you have been on assistance for more than X number of months in the past X years.. or first two years on assistance, you retain rights, but for the next three you sit on the sidelines.. whatever..
We made a big deal in the US about taxation without representation.. well there are people who are getting representation without taxation and further are a burden on our economy. Not saying there aren’t other drains.. just that they do drain our resources without much giving back. You say that abuse is isolated and I hope that is true, but from my personal observation it really appears to be a problem. You keep wanting to mention young kids who are just starting out.. well how about if they are in school they still get to vote? There are lots of ways that the idea could be implemented.. I just want people who make good decisions voting. If you sat in the back of the class (if you even bothered attending) and cut up and didn’t pay attention and now you can’t support yourself, you probably don’t have the capability of making a good decision.
Umm.. I didn’t make a racial comment, nor did I say you did. There is nothing in my comment that suggests your thoughts apply to those of a minority race. I said there was once a time when only white men could vote… that’s a fact, not a matter of opinion.
You wrote specifically “If you can’t run your own life, you don’t need to have a hand in the decisions that impact your neighbors.“ A high school senior living off his/her parent(s) is not running his/her own life.
I agree, I don’t think felons should vote. But people receiving public assistance and felons are two separate entities, and you are for some reason lumping them all together. You are grossly misinformed on how the “welfare” system works. It’s not for life. You get 5 years, MAX, no if ands or buts about it. I used to work at DSS and handled requests for assistance. Many a decent person has been denied because 20 years ago they got TANF for 5 years. I remember a grandmother who suddenly got sick right after she got custody of her 5 grandchildren after their parents died. She was fired from her job because she missed 3 days and needed a little help while she looked for another. She was unable to get TANF because 20 years earlier when she was a young 15 years earlier while she was a single mother she relied on the help to keep her family going. Sound far fetched? Well, it’s real and it happens… all the time.
You can twist my words to make them fit your argument all your want, it’s not going to change mine. I really don’t like that you get to make choices on how my tax dollars are spend, because it’s obvious you have no idea how fundamental systems and programs in our government ACTUALLY operate. You only understand it from b.s. media and what you’ve heard from someone else who doesn’t know what they are talking about.
If you have scholarly journal articles and/or published government documents that refute any of what I’ve said in this comment, feel free to post the links. If I’m wrong, I’ll say so (but I know I’m not wrong).
I specifically said public assistance in my post. A high school senior being supported by their parents would not have a problem. Nowhere did I mention race in my post. I am very offended that you think my problem with people who can’t run their own lives would only apply to non-whites. That is really telling of your racial bias.
I also mentioned in the tale end of my post that this was a general idea, NOT necessarily a black and white solution (no pun intended I sure understand there are grey areas). However, if you have not lived your life responsibly through poor choices, you should not get the chance to screw up mine by voting. Certainly felons in almost every situation would be the poster children for bad life choices. By that same logic, someone who has been living on welfare because they couldn’t bother to stay in school or attend a job haven’t done such a bang up job of choice making themselves.
By the way, I believe it is the lack of something between my legs that would have disqualified me in the past.
So, do you like it when slackers get to make choices on how your tax dollars are spent? I sure don’t.
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