Voting Rights Subcommittee

Wednesday, January 28, 2026·1h 12m·▶ Watch / Listen

The Virginia House Privileges and Elections Subcommittee on Voting Rights advanced seven bills and carried over two constitutional amendments, with votes ranging from unanimous 8-0 passages to more divided 6-2 outcomes on measures removing election day voter challenges and tightening guardianship voting rights protections.

Key Actions

·HJ14 – Constitutional Amendment (carried over)No Vote

+ 7 more actions

Controversies

HB 59 – Whether the bill addresses voting or only redistricting

Delegate Ware described HB 59 as establishing where civilly committed individuals' voting rights would be established, but Delegate Price challenged him directly, asking him to point to where in the bill he was basing his conversation about voting. Subcommittee counsel then clarified that the bill as drafted deals only with redistricting and does not affect voting, effectively correcting the patron's description. Delegate Ware acknowledged he had 'slightly moved a different direction' in describing it.

+ 3 more controversies

Notable Quotes

“The town of Crewe, for example, had 590 votes total cast for mayor. And it is in the most recent election for which they had it. Council winners win by. Most recently have won by 323 votes, 95 votes, 159 votes and so forth in the elections that there have been. So overnight, this institution would become easily the largest precinct in this small town and could, even though they're not actively involved in the affairs of the town, become the dominant political force in the town.”
Delegate R. Lee Ware (bill patron, HB 59) — Delegate Ware was explaining why the population of the Virginia Center for Behavioral Rehabilitation — 411 residents — should be reallocated back to their prior addresses for redistricting purposes rather than counted in the Town of Crewe where the facility is located.

+ 2 more quotes

Votes

Carry over HJ14 and HJ45 to 2027Passed

Report HB 59Passed

Adopt amendment to HB 113 adding fourth bullet re: paying a wage to conduct a voter registration drivePassed

Report HB 113 as amendedPassed

Report HB 213Passed

Pass by HB 493 for the dayPassed

Embrace the substitute for HB 640Passed

Report HB 640 as substitutedPassed

Adopt substitute for HB 1244Passed

Report HB 1244 as substitutedPassed

Report HB 1014Passed

AdjournPassed

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TranscriptPreview

Well, good morning, everyone. Welcome to the first meeting of the House Privileges and Elections Subcommittee on Voting Rights. My name is Delegate Joshua Cole. I represent Virginia 65th House District. And I am excited and elated to be here bright and early at 7am I will ask if the clerk will open the roll. The clerk may close the roll. And seeing that we have quorum, we'll get started this morning. This is a very important and key subcommittee to make sure that we're protecting, I like to say, la de and everybody's voting rights. And so there will be some important bills that are coming before this subcommittee. So this work is very important. I like to run an efficient subcommittee. I like to get in and get out with respect to the people who are here, the citizens who have traveled from far to come and testify. And so we'll start off with a quick brief introduction of our subcommittee members, starting with our Uber chair to my right. Good morning. Delegate Sia Price, chair of Privileges and Elections from the 8th district in Newport News. Good morning. John McAuliffe, delegate from the 30th district, all of…

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