HB 28 Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Voter registration; regular periodic review of registration records.

Summary
Voter registration; regular periodic review of registration records. Requires the Department of Elections to complete, not later than 90 days prior to the date of a primary or general election, any program the purpose of which is to systematically remove the names of ineligible voters from the voter registration system based on evidence of ineligibility, including evidence of lack of eligible residence or evidence of noncitizenship. This restriction is not to be construed to preclude (i) the removal of names from the voter registration system at the request of the registrant or as provided by existing law by reason of criminal conviction or mental incapacity or the death of the registrant if the triggering conviction, incapacity order, or death occurred within 120 days of the election or (ii) the correction of details, such as name and address, in a voter's registration record that does not result in the removal of a voter from the voter registration system. Under current law, such restriction only applies to federal primaries and federal general elections. The bill also provides a process for confirming a voter's citizenship status prior to cancellation based on a report of non-citizen status and extends (a) the period of time registrars have to cancel registrations from 30 days to 60 days after notification of the need to cancel by the Department of Elections and (b) the period of time a registered voter has to respond to a notice of cancellation related to citizenship status from 14 days to 28 days.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Dec 22, 2025 Last action Feb 24, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Privileges and Elections Substitute · 5 edits
MODERATE
This bill was amended from its original introduction to a substitute version after committee review. The main substantive change involves modifying the 90-day 'quiet period' rule for voter registration cleanup, adding more specific language about systematic removal of ineligible voters, and clarifying exceptions for recent felony convictions or deaths. The bill also includes formatting changes typical of legislative amendments.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on Virginia voter registration, but the timing and procedures for removing ineligible voters have been refined to provide clearer guidance on systematic review processes.
TIMELINE

Changed the deadline for systematic voter removal programs from '90 days prior to election' to include additional language about evidence-based removal and clarified that the 90-day limit applies specifically to third-party submissions based on systematic review.

Modified the exception for recent deaths and felony convictions to specify that the 90-day restriction does not apply if the triggering event occurred within 120 days of the election.

REQUIREMENT

Added specific language requiring systematic removal programs to be based on 'evidence of ineligibility, including evidence of lack of eligible residence or evidence of noncitizenship' and defined what constitutes a systematic process (computerized data-matching or non-individualized review).

DEFINITION

Added a new definition explaining that a 'systematic' program means voters are identified through computerized data-matching or non-individualized review rather than individualized review of records.

TECHNICAL

The document includes extensive formatting changes, page breaks, and draft markings typical of legislative amendments, but these do not affect the substantive policy.

Floor votes · House of Delegates Feb 13, 2026

How they voted

5034
Passed · 4 other
Total votes 88
Feb 13, 2026
D Democratic53
50 Yea 3
94% Yea
R Republican35
34 Nay 1
97% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
20
Key actions
7
Committee
10
Feb 16, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
upper
Feb 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (61-Y 35-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Appropriations (14-Y 7-N)
lower
Feb 6, 2026
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 2-N)
lower
Jan 30, 2026
Committee
Assigned HAPP sub: General Government and Capital Outlay
lower
Jan 30, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Privileges and Elections with substitute and referred to Appropriations (15-Y 7-N)
lower
Jan 30, 2026
Lower · Passed
House committee offered
lower
Jan 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends reporting and referring to Appropriations (6-Y 2-N)
lower
Jan 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
House subcommittee offered
lower
Jan 25, 2026
Committee
Assigned HPE sub: Election Administration
lower
Dec 22, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
lower
1 primary · 12 co-sponsors

Sponsors