The State Board of Elections:

Who is on the State Board of Elections?

• Composed of three members appointed by the Governor from among the qualified voters of the Commonwealth, and subject to confirmation by the General Assembly

• Two members are from the Governor's party and one from the party whose candidate received the second highest number of votes in the most recent gubernatorial election.

• Board members serve four-year terms, overlapping the Governor's Term by one year.

Secretary of the State Board of Elections:

• The Governor designates one of the three members of the Board as the Secretary.

• The Secretary is a full-time agency head.

• The Secretary administers the agency and is empowered to employ the personnel required to carry out the duties required by the law.

Major Duties of the State Board:

• To supervise and coordinate the work of the local Electoral Boards and Registrars to obtain uniformity in their practices and proceedings and purity in all elections.

• To ensure that your local Electoral Board members and General Registrar are properly trained.

• To create and approve the appropriate forms for the registration of voters and conduct of elections.

• It may also institute proceedings for the removal of any member of any Electoral Board or other election official or Registrar who fails to discharge his or her duties according to the law.

• It may request that the Attorney General, or other attorney designated by the Governor, assist the attorney for the Commonwealth of any jurisdiction in which election laws have been violated.

  
  

Documents used and prepared by the Electoral Board:

Statement of Results

• All data entered by Officers of Election is checked for accuracy, including the number voting on machines which should be verified against data entered for each machine's public and protective counter entries.

• The ascertainment of results is made from the Statement of Results from each precinct.

• If errors are found, a majority of the Officers of Election for the precinct will be summoned. Officers representing both parties must be present. Only the Officers of Election may make changes to the Statement of Results.

• If it appears that Officers must look at counted ballots or examine voting machines, the State Board of Elections must be contacted to obtain permission for the Clerk of Court to release documents or voting equipment keys to the officers. Documents and/or voting machines must be examined in the presence of either the Clerk or Deputy Clerk of Court.

General or Special Election

• Attested copy for each office is provided to the clerk of the local governing body

• Attested copy for each local issue is provided to the clerk of the local governing body and the Clerk of Court.

Certificates of Election

• Certificates of Election, prepared for each person elected to a local office, are executed by the Secretary of the Electoral Board.

• Secretary of the Electoral Board determines that the requirements of the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act have been met by winners of local offices covered by that Act.

• Certificates are given to the winners.

The State Board of Elections is required to meet to certify the results of all elections for members of the General Assembly, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, members of the United States Congress, Presidential Electors, and any other office shared by more than one county or city or combination of the two.

When and where the State Board meets:

At least two weeks before the date of any meeting, the State Board will forward a notice of the date and location of the meeting to the Registrar of Regulations for posting on the Commonwealth's calendar.

A copy of the notice will also be posted at the entrance to its offices:

• For a Primary Election

  • No later than 14 days after the date of the primary.

• For a General Election

  • On the fourth Monday in November.

• For a Special Election

  • As soon as possible following the election. Number of days after the election varies based on the number of localities involved in the election.

Who may be present at the State Board Canvass:

• The Deputy Secretary and other staff needed to assist the Board.

• Any person or media representative is permitted to attend. These persons may observe but may not interrupt the meeting.

Official Election Results

Immediately following its canvass the State Board of Elections changes to the classification of the election results on its web site from Unofficial to Official and makes available to the public election results summaries and locality/precinct details.

What are Recounts and Contests?

A recount is are-determination of the resultsof a close election.

A contest is achallenge to the outcome of the election based on:

• Objections to the winner's eligibility, based on specific allegations; and/or

• Objections to the conduct or results of the election containing specific grounds which, if proven true, would have a probable impact on the outcome of the election.

Under Virginia laws, either activity can only be initiated by the losing candidate or group of voters in the case of an issue, under specific conditions and following set procedures. To learn more about recounts and contests, Click Here to view the Virginia laws that govern these activities.

Are there any illegal acts regarding voting and elections?

There are very strict laws that must be observed by citizens in both registering to vote and voting. The following is a condensed and partial list of illegal acts in regard to voting and elections:

• No person may obtain or submit false, fraudulent or fictitious voter registration applications.

• No person may submit false information as to name, address, citizenship or period of residence in a voting district for the purpose of establishing eligibility to register or vote in any election.

• No person may intentionally register at more than one address at the same time, or vote more than once in the same election.

• No person may carry the official ballot furnished by the officers of election further than the voting booth, and should they decide not to vote after receiving the ballot, they shall immediately return the ballot to the officers.

• No person may obtain, cast or count false, fraudulent or fictitious ballots in any election.

• No person may pay, offer to pay or accept payment for voting, registering to vote, withholding their vote, or votingfor or against any candidate.

• No person may intimidate, threaten or coerce any other person: for registering or voting; for urging or aiding persons in registering or voting; for purposes of interfering or influencing how a person chooses to vote or not vote; or for purposes of preventing a person from voting.

• No person may steal or willfully, fraudulently, or wrongfully tamper with any part of any ballot container, voting or registration equipment, records, or documents, which are used in any way within the registration or election process.

• No person may, by bribery, intimidation, or other means in violation of the election laws, willfully hinder or prevent, or attempt to hinder or prevent, the officers of election at any precinct from holding an election.