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Privileges And Elections

Friday, February 6, 2026·37m·▶ Watch / Listen

The House Privileges and Elections Committee advanced a slate of election-related bills including the National Popular Vote Compact (HB 965) and automatic voter registration upon release from incarceration (HB 964), while continuing a synthetic media disclosure bill (HB 868) to 2027 after its own patron flagged unresolved First Amendment concerns.

Key Actions

·HB 41 – State Board Authority Over Electoral OfficialsPassed

+ 14 more actions

Controversies

HB 639 – Whether striking a provision would bar churches from serving as polling places

Delegate Waxman argued that striking item one in the second paragraph of HB 639 would prevent registrars from using churches as polling places, noting that rural areas rely heavily on churches for that purpose. Delegate Glass responded that was not the intent and that nothing in the text prohibits churches from being used, adding that the stricken section was the reason that section was put into the language when the bill was introduced in 2022. Delegate Kruzak stated that if HB 639 becomes law, churches could still be used as polling places under existing law handled by local election officials.

+ 3 more controversies

Notable Quotes

“The purpose of this bill is to guarantee the candidate who receives the most votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia is the President of the United States using the current structure of the constitution in Article 2, Section 1, to bring the popular vote into alignment with the Electoral College, not to abolish the Electoral College outright.”

Scott Drexel — Drexel testified on behalf of National Popular Vote in support of HB 965, which would enter Virginia into an interstate compact to award the state's electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote.

+ 4 more quotes

Votes

Report HB 41Passed
Report HB 234Passed
Report HB 639Passed
Adopt substitute for HB 909No Vote
Report HB 909 with substitutePassed
Adopt substitute for HB 774No Vote
Report HB 774 with substitutePassed
Continue HB 868 to 2027 per Rule 22 with letter to JCOTTNo Vote
Continue HB 162 to 2027 per Rule 22No Vote
Report HB 212Passed
Report HB 835No Vote
Report and refer HB 1496 to AppropriationsPassed
HB 1150 and HB 1185 go by for the dayNo Vote
Adopt amendment to HB 964No Vote
Report HB 964 as amendedPassed
Adopt amendment to HB 965No Vote
Report HB 965 with amendmentPassed
Report HB 967Passed
Adopt amendment to Senate Joint Resolution 60No Vote
Report Senate Joint Resolution 60 as amendedPassed
Report Senate Joint Resolution 61Passed
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TranscriptPreview
Good morning. I called to order this meeting of the House Privileges and Elections Committee. If the clerk could please open the roll and members show your presence. All right. And a quorum is here. Thank you so much. First we are going to go to the Elections Administration subcommittee report. And with that Chair Glass, if you want to save House Bill 774 for last, I can help with that one. Gratitude, Madam Chair. We'll start with House Bill 41. This bill allows the State Board of Elections to move any member of the electoral electoral board or General registrar By a recorded 2/3 majority vote of all its members after a public hearing on related matters. The subcommittee recommends reporting on a vote of 8 to 0 and I so move. It's been moved and properly seconded that we would report House Bill 41. Are there any questions? Comments? Seeing none. If the clerk will please open the rolls. Members, cast your votes. And that is reported on a vote of 19 to 1. Delegate Glass. Yes, Madam Chair. The next bill is House Bill 234. This bill requires the Department of Elections to issue a standardized identification…
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