Richmond, Virginia—The Virginia House of Delegates this afternoon voted to change longstanding House rules to require recorded votes in subcommittees on “matters of substance.”  In the past, many bills have passed or failed based on voice votes alone, making it impossible to know which Delegates voted for which bills

“Members of the House of Delegates work for Virginia families and we deserve full transparency regarding the actions they take on our behalf. Requiring recorded votes is an important step in the right direction for transparency in Virginia,” Anna Scholl, Executive Director of Progress Virginia, said Wednesday. “Virginians crave information about what happens during the General Assembly session and the issues that matter most to them, which is why we will be bringing back our Eyes on Richmond project again this year so that anyone with an internet connection can see debate on bills, watch testimony from other citizens, and see which legislators vote which way in real time. A legislative record that records roll call votes every time is an excellent complement to that project.”

Eyes on Richmond is an award-winning transparency project launched during the 2017 legislative session, before recording votes was a requirement. Anyone can visit eyesonrichmond.org to view real time streams of subcommittee meetings. The meetings will also be archived on the website for people who are unable to watch live.