Progress Virginia Praises Committee Passage of  Pro-Voting Legislation

Richmond, Virginia—Progress Virginia today praised members of the House Privileges and Elections Committee for  advancing Delegate Schuyler VanValkenburg’s HB1888 and HB1810 to expand voting rights and opportunities. HB1888 makes the temporary absentee voting access changes passed last year in response to the pandemic permanent and ensures that voters will always have access to secure drop boxes to return ballots, prepaid postage to return absentee ballots by mail, and a ballot “cure” process. HB1810 provides for the Governor to extend the voter registration period in the event the online registration fails again before the deadline. 

“Every eligible voter must be able to make their voice heard in our elections. HB1888 will allow voters to continue to vote on their own terms, either in-person on Election Day, in-person in advance of the election, absentee via a secure drop box, or absentee with prepaid postage. We saw what a difference these measures made when a record number of people voted in the November elections,” said Anna Scholl, executive director, Progress Virginia. “No one should have to choose between their health and their vote. When eligible voters are able to cast their ballots safely, securely, and easily, our democracy is stronger, and we’re excited that the House Privileges and Elections Committee has taken steps to make that a reality for all of us.”

Background:

• In 2020, 2,817,794 people voted early. Of those, 1,020,821 voted by mail. In 2016, only 574,872 people voted early. 
• A study in North Carolina found that Black voters’ ballots were rejected for having a mistake at twice the rate as those of white voters. The cure process helps mitigate this problem. 
• During the presidential primaries in 2020, more than 550,000 absentee ballots were rejected nationwide for having problems that could be addressed by a cure process.