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HB972Introduced in the House of Delegates

Voter registration; list maintenance activities, cancellation procedures, required record matches.

Passed

Introduced by Marcia Price, District 85

What does this bill do?

Plain-English breakdown

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Official description

Voter registration; list maintenance activities, cancellation procedures, required record matches. Requires certain, specified identification information to be included on the lists received by the Department of Elections (the Department) for list maintenance purposes and requires the Department, upon receiving any such list, to do an initial comparison of the information included on such list with the list of registered voters and to determine the confidence score for any match. The Department is required to transmit matches with a confidence score of at least 80 to the appropriate general registrars. The bill prohibits the use of voter data received from another state or jurisdiction or through a list comparison for list maintenance purposes when the data file does not include a unique identifier for each individual whose information is contained in the data file. The bill requires the Department to annually review all sources of data utilized for list maintenance activities for the purpose of determining the validity, completeness, accuracy, and reliability of the data received from each source, and to include the results of such review in its annual report to the House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections regarding its list maintenance activities. The bill provides that the Department of Elections may only use the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements Program (SAVE Program) operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for the sole purpose of individually verifying that voters listed in the Virginia voter registration system are United States citizens. The Department of Elections is prohibited from (i) using information received from the SAVE Program as the sole reason for rejecting a registration application, (ii) uploading lists of registered voters to the SAVE Program for verifying their citizenship status in bulk, or (iii) transferring any information to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or any subdivision thereof beyond the minimum information necessary. The bill requires the general registrars to send notice prior to cancelling a voter's registration regardless of the reason for cancellation. Lastly, the bill clarifies that when a voter's registration is cancelled, a cancellation record must be created, and that such records are public in accordance with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and the National Voter Registration Act. The bill includes numerous technical amendments for organizational purposes. Certain provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill incorporates HB 966.

Where it stands

Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1120)

May 14, 2026

How did lawmakers vote?

House of Delegates votes

4 recorded votes · each counted separately

Senate votes

4 recorded votes · each counted separately

House of DelegatesStage: Senate amendments agreed to by House (64-Y 34-N 0-A) · March 11, 2026

64

Yes

34

No

1

Absent or Not Voting

99 delegates recorded in this House of Delegates vote. Colors show vote categories only, not whether a vote was good or bad.

See how each delegate voted

DelegateDistrictVote
Patrick Hope1Yes
Adele McClure2Yes
Alfonso Lopez3Yes
Charniele Herring4Yes
Kirk McPike5Yes
Richard Sullivan6Yes
Karen Keys-Gamarra7Yes
Irene Shin8Yes
Karrie Delaney9Yes
Dan Helmer10Yes

Bill history

  1. Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101433D

  2. Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections

  3. Assigned HPE sub: Election Administration

  4. Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB972)

  5. Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (6-Y 2-N)

  6. House subcommittee offered

  7. House committee offered

  8. Incorporates HB966 (Price)

  9. Reported from Privileges and Elections with substitute (14-Y 7-N)

  10. Committee substitute printed 26107629D-H1

  11. Read first time

  12. Read second time

  13. committee substitute agreed to

  14. Engrossed by House - committee substitute

  15. Read third time and passed House (62-Y 35-N 0-A)

  16. Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)

  17. Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections

  18. Senate committee offered

  19. Reported from Privileges and Elections with amendments and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (8-Y 7-N)

  20. Reported from Finance and Appropriations (10-Y 5-N)

  21. Rules suspended

  22. Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

  23. Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  24. Read third time

  25. Privileges and Elections Amendments agreed to

  26. Engrossed by Senate as amended

  27. Passed Senate with amendments (21-Y 19-N 0-A)

  28. Senate amendments agreed to by House (64-Y 34-N 0-A)

  29. Enrolled

  30. Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB972ER)

  31. Signed by President

  32. Signed by Speaker

  33. Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026

  34. Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  35. Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB972)

  36. Governor's recommendation received by House

  37. Passed by for the day

  38. Passed by for the day

  39. Communicated to Governor

  40. Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., May 23, 2026

  41. Approved by Governor - Chapter 1120 (effective - see bill)

  42. Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1120)

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