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Virginia election officials change process for removing dead people from voter rolls
The Virginia Department of Elections says it has “streamlined” the process of removing dead voters from the rolls by allowing local registrars to use obituaries to confirm deaths and creating a form meant to make it easier for family members to notify election offices after a death. In a news release Monday, the agency said […]
Virginia lawmakers OK final edits to bill meant to get tough on unregulated THC
Shortly after the Virginia General Assembly’s work began Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Tommy Norment, R-Williamsburg, joked that he had texted his wife to say he was going to miss his own birthday dinner because the legislature was spending a lot of time “arguing about cannabis.” As lawmakers returned to Richmond for a single day to […]
Democratic senator says he’s meeting with Youngkin to discuss rights restoration
A key Democratic senator said he’s meeting with Gov. Glenn Youngkin Wednesday morning to discuss the governor’s stance on restoring voting rights to people with felony convictions. The meeting comes as Democrats and progressive advocates continue to blast the administration’s slower pace of rights restorations and lack of clarity about its process. “We’ve got to […]
In reversal, Va. elections board OKs extension for candidates with missing paperwork
Loosening a previously strict policy meant to encourage Virginia political candidates to file their legally required paperwork on time, the State Board of Elections on Tuesday approved a 10-day extension for any would-be candidate who failed to meet the April 6 filing deadline to run in state or local primary elections. In 2021, the last […]
Who might — and who won’t — be returning to the General Assembly next year
This story is an updated and expanded version of our General Assembly Tracker. In Virginia’s never-sleepy political calendar, April 6 was a red-letter day: the last day for candidates affiliated with a party to file paperwork announcing their intention to run for office in the June primaries. The primary filing deadline is always a watershed […]
Neither man convicted in scheme to sell ABC bourbon info will face active jail time
The two Virginia men accused of using inside information from the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority to give bourbon collectors a heads up on where to get rare bottles won’t face any active jail time after both pleaded guilty to one felony charge related to computer trespassing. Robert Adams, a Hampton Roads man whom authorities […]
As Virginia budget negotiations drag on, here’s what hangs in the balance
In normal years, Virginia’s budget plan is supposed to be pretty much done by April except for any late changes recommended by the governor. But for the second year in row, the politically split General Assembly is heading into spring under a cloud of uncertainty over when the budget will get done and what will […]
Youngkin proposes carveout shielding ‘therapeutic’ CBD from new cannabis rules
Gov. Glenn Youngkin is recommending changes to a pending state law that would exempt some non-intoxicating CBD products from strict new regulations on the sale of delta-8 and other hemp-based concoctions that get users high. After significant pushback to a proposed rule limiting THC to 2 milligrams per package — which many hemp proponents have […]
GMU leader defends plan to host Youngkin as commencement speaker
The president of George Mason University appears unswayed by a student-led petition asking the school to reverse its choice of Gov. Glenn Youngkin as its spring commencement speaker.
Youngkin signs bill creating $300 tax credit for gun safes
Firearm safety is about to get a little more affordable in Virginia after Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bipartisan bill creating a $300 tax credit meant to reimburse people who buy gun safes or other lockable gun containers. The legislation approved by the governor last week was the only gun safety measure that passed the […]
Youngkin administration now requires felons to apply to get their voting rights back
In a shift from Virginia’s last three governors, Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration is requiring people with felony convictions to proactively apply to regain their voting rights upon release from prison and is not automatically restoring rights for any group of offenders. In a letter sent to a Democratic state senator this week in response to […]
Virginia policymakers consider changing hemp bill to reduce impact on CBD products
Before many people even knew what CBD was, a particular group of families was asking Virginia lawmakers to legalize it. At the urging of parents with children diagnosed with severe epilepsy, Virginia passed a law in 2015 creating a legal shield allowing families to possess cannabis-derived CBD oils for medical use without fear of being […]