HB 1938 Virginia House of Delegates · 2025 Regular Session

Elections; prohibited area within five feet of any area designated for voting outside polling place.

Summary
Elections; general provisions; prohibited area. Adds the five feet beyond any area designated for voting outside the polling place to the prohibited area where campaigning and certain other activities are unlawful during elections.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 6, 2025 Last action Feb 11, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Privileges and Elections Substitute Delegate Reid Substitute · 5 edits
MODERATE
The bill was revised from a House Substitute to a Delegate Reid Floor Amendment, changing the bill's title and scope. The most significant substantive change is the reduction of the prohibited campaign area distance from 100 feet to 40 feet around polling place entrances, which affects where campaign materials can be distributed and where people can loiter near polling places. The amendment also removed references to § 24.2-671 and § 24.2-802.1 from the list of amended sections, narrowing the bill's scope to only election day polling place regulations rather than including recount procedures.
Scope change
The bill's scope was narrowed by removing references to election recount procedures (§ 24.2-671 and § 24.2-802.1) from the list of amended sections, focusing the legislation solely on polling place requirements and prohibited areas.
REQUIREMENT

Reduced the prohibited campaign area distance from 100 feet to 40 feet around polling place entrances, changing where campaign materials can be distributed and where people can loiter near polling places.

Changed the prohibited area distance from 100 feet to 40 feet for areas within the polling place structure where campaign materials may be distributed.

SCOPE

Removed § 24.2-671 (electoral board meeting procedures) and § 24.2-802.1 (recount procedures) from the list of amended sections, narrowing the bill's focus to polling place regulations only.

TECHNICAL

Changed the bill title from 'Privileges and Elections Substitute' to 'Delegate Reid Floor Amendment' and updated the amendment date from January 31, 2025 to February 3, 2025.

Removed § 24.2-604.5 from the list of amended sections in the Delegate Reid version, though the section text itself remains in the bill.

Floor votes · House of Delegates Feb 4, 2025

How they voted

5642
Passed · 2 other
Total votes 100
Feb 4, 2025
D Democratic51
48 Yea 3 Nay
94% Yea
R Republican49
8 Yea 39 Nay 2
79% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
18
Key actions
2
Committee
4
Feb 5, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
upper
Feb 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (56-Y 42-N)
lower
Jan 31, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported from Privileges and Elections with substitute (11-Y 10-N)
lower
Jan 26, 2025
Committee
Assigned PE sub: Election Administration
lower
Jan 6, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
lower
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors