Virginia's new Democratic trifecta enacted more election-related bills than other states so far this year
On April 22, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) approved HB 215 and SB 176, after the General Assembly adopted her recommendations the same day. HB 215 requires the commissioner of elections, before entering into, terminating, or modifying a memorandum of understanding with a third party for the exchange of voter registration data, to submit the proposal to the State Board of Elections for review and approval by a two-thirds vote. The bill does not apply to data sharing agreements between the Department of Elections and entities required by law to exchange data to operate and maintain the Virginia voter registration system. HB 215 also requires the commissioner to submit an application to join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC).
SB 176 permits the use of ranked-choice voting (RCV) to elect members of any local governing body in Virginia, not just county board of supervisors or city council elections. It also requires a locality that decides to use RCV to notify the State Board of Elections, which must assess the technical feasibility of RCV in that locality within 10 days of receiving the decision.
https://news.ballotpedia.org/2026/04/28/the-ballot-bulletin-virginias-new-democratic-trifecta-enacted-more-election-related-bills-than-other-states-so-far-this-year/