The state Department of Elections will look further into how to best address the integrity of Virginia elections. In an email to general registrars and the electoral board this week, State Board of Elections Chairman James Alcorn announced he would pull the decision to pass proposed changes to voter registration forms from the board’s September agenda. In a July public hearing, registrars from throughout the state as well as other residents spoke against a proposal that no longer would require voters to check boxes verifying their legal, felon or competency statuses before their registration is approved. The proposal, which included changes to the form’s spacing, font and order, was an election board initiative to increase voting access and eliminate barriers, proponents said at the meeting.
“The proposal needs substantive work before the Board can review any potential changes and this issue requires more time for proper analysis,” Alcorn wrote.
Alcorn said in the email he would ask the Department of Elections to collaborate with the elections community to develop future changes to the application or regulations. He also asked the department to analyze the rejection of voter registration forms and to provide findings to the board and the public.
Sen. Tom Garrett, R-Buckingham, rallied Virginia residents to the July meeting in opposition to the proposal he and many others said would make illegal voting easier. Garrett represents part of Lynchburg and Amherst and Appomattox counties.
Full Article: State elections official asks for further study of voter registration forms – NewsAdvance.com : News – Lynchburg, Virginia Area.