(HB1657)

GOVERNOR'S VETO

Pursuant to Article V, Section 6 of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 1657, which imposes unnecessary restrictions on the Department of Elections' ability to maintain accurate voter rolls.

Federal law already governs voter list maintenance, and this bill simply codifies ambiguous language that has led to ongoing litigation. The Supreme Court recently declined to require Virginia to reinstate non-citizens whose registrations were canceled during the federally mandated quiet period, affirming current practices. This bill does nothing to clarify the issue and will likely invite further legal challenges without improving election security.

Additionally, expanding the quiet period to all elections not just federal ones would disrupt essential voter roll updates, creating administrative inefficiencies and unnecessary costs for election officials.

Virginia's election system must be guided by clear, effective policies, not redundant and legally uncertain mandates.

Accordingly, I veto the bill.