Virginia Law

Article 4. Registrars.

A. Each electoral board shall meet in the month of May or June in 2007, and every four years thereafter, and shall appoint a general registrar, who shall be a qualified voter of the county or city for which he is appointed unless such county or city has a population of 50,000 or less. In the case of a city that is wholly contained within one county, the city electoral board may appoint a qualified voter of that county to serve as city general registrar. General registrars shall serve four-year terms beginning July 1, 2007, and each fourth year thereafter, and continue in office until a successor is appointed and qualifies.

The electoral board shall fill any vacancy in the office of general registrar for the unexpired term. The electoral board shall declare vacant and fill the office of the general registrar if the appointee fails to qualify and deliver a copy of his oath to the secretary of the electoral board within 30 days after he has been notified of his appointment.

B. No general registrar shall hold any other office, by election or appointment, while serving as general registrar; however, with the consent of the electoral board, he may undertake other duties which do not conflict with his duties as general registrar. General registrars shall not serve as officers of election. The election or appointment of a general registrar to any other office shall vacate the office of the general registrar.

No general registrar shall be eligible to offer for or hold an office to be filled by election in whole or in part by the qualified voters of his jurisdiction at any election held during the time he serves as general registrar or for the six months thereafter.

The electoral board shall not appoint to the office of general registrar any person who is the spouse of an electoral board member or any person, or the spouse of any person, who is the parent, grandparent, sibling, child, or grandchild of an electoral board member.

C. No general registrar shall serve as the chairman of a political party or other officer of a state, local or district level political party committee. No general registrar shall serve as a paid or volunteer worker in the campaign of a candidate for nomination or election to an office filled by election in whole or in part by the qualified voters of his jurisdiction. The restrictions of this subsection shall apply to paid deputy registrars but shall not apply to unpaid deputy registrars.

D. Upon appointment pursuant to this section, a general registrar shall be eligible for protected voter status under subsection B of § 24.2-418.

Code 1950, §§ 24-30, 24-35, 24-36, 24-52, 24-52.1, 24-53, 24-55, 24-61, 24-65, 24-66, 24-118.1, 24-199; 1954, c. 691; 1958, c. 576; 1962, c. 475; 1964, c. 608; 1968, cc. 97, 141; 1970, c. 462, §§ 24.1-32, 24.1-34, 24.1-43, 24.1-44; 1973, c. 30; 1974, c. 428; 1975, c. 515; 1976, c. 12; 1978, c. 778; 1980, c. 639; 1981, c. 425; 1982, cc. 290, 650; 1983, c. 511; 1984, c. 480; 1985, c. 197; 1986, c. 558, § 24.1-33.2; 1988, c. 528; 1989, c. 227; 1993, c. 641; 1995, cc. 835, 848; 1996, c. 308; 2004, cc. 27, 391; 2009, c. 403; 2018, cc. 692, 693; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 482; 2022, c. 140; 2024, c. 309.

The General Assembly shall establish a compensation plan in the general appropriation act for the general registrars. The governing body for the county or city of each general registrar shall pay compensation in accordance with the plan and be reimbursed annually as authorized in the act. The governing body shall be required to provide benefits to the general and deputy registrars and staff as provided to other employees of the locality, and shall be authorized to supplement the salary of the general registrar to the extent provided in the act.

Each locality shall pay the reasonable expenses of the general registrar, including reimbursement for mileage at the rate payable to members of the General Assembly. In case of a dispute, the State Board shall approve or disapprove the reimbursement. Reasonable expenses include, but are not limited to, costs for (i) an adequately trained registrar's staff, including training in the use of computers and other technology to the extent provided to other local employees with similar job responsibilities, and reasonable costs for the general registrar to receive and maintain certification as required by the State Board pursuant to subsection C of § 24.2-103; (ii) adequate training for officers of election; (iii) conducting elections as required by this title; and (iv) voter education.

Code 1950, §§ 24-52, 24-52.1, 24-55, 24-61, 24-65, 24-66, 24-118.1; 1954, c. 691; 1962, c. 475; 1964, c. 608; 1968, cc. 97, 141; 1970, c. 462, § 24.1-43; 1973, c. 30; 1974, c. 428; 1975, c. 515; 1976, c. 12; 1978, c. 778; 1981, c. 425; 1982, c. 290; 1983, c. 511; 1984, c. 480; 1985, c. 197; 1986, c. 558; 1988, c. 528; 1993, c. 641; 2003, c. 1015; 2016, c. 13; 2020, c. 1148; 2022, c. 140.

A. The electoral board of each county and city shall determine the number of deputy registrars to serve in the office of the general registrar, including any to serve full-time.

In Russell County, there shall be at least one full-time deputy registrar who shall serve in the office of the general registrar.

In any county or city whose population is over 15,500, there shall be at least one deputy registrar who shall serve at least one day each week in the office of the general registrar.

Any county or city whose population is 15,500 or less shall have at least one substitute registrar who is able to take over the duties of the general registrar in an emergency and who shall assist the general registrar when he requests.

B. The electoral board shall set the term for the deputy registrars; however, their terms shall not extend beyond the term set by law of the incumbent general registrar. The general registrar shall establish the duties of deputy registrars, appoint deputy registrars, and have authority to remove any deputy registrar who fails to discharge the duties of his office.

All deputy registrars shall have the same limitations and qualifications and fulfill the same requirements as the general registrar except that (i) a deputy registrar may be an officer of election and (ii) a deputy registrar shall be a qualified voter of the Commonwealth but is not required to be a qualified voter of the county or city in which he serves as deputy registrar. Candidates who are residents in the county or city for which they seek appointment may be given preference in hiring. Localities may mutually agree to share a deputy registrar among two or more localities. Deputy registrars who agree to serve without pay shall be supervised and trained by the general registrar.

All other employees shall be employed by the general registrar. The general registrar may hire additional temporary employees on a part-time basis as needed.

C. The compensation of any deputy registrar, other than those who agree to serve without pay, or any other employee of the general registrar shall be fixed and paid by the local governing body and shall be the equivalent of or exceed the minimum hourly wage established by federal law in 29 U.S.C. § 206 (a)(1), as amended.

D. The general registrar shall not appoint to the office of paid deputy registrar his spouse or any person, or the spouse of any person, who is his parent, grandparent, sibling, child, or grandchild.

E. Upon appointment or employment pursuant to this section, a deputy registrar or any employee of the office of the general registrar shall be eligible for protected voter status under subsection B of § 24.2-418.

Code 1950, § 24-58; 1970, c. 462, § 24.1-45; 1973, c. 30; 1974, c. 428; 1975, c. 515; 1982, c. 650; 1983, c. 470; 1984, c. 480; 1986, c. 558, § 24.1-45.3; 1993, c. 641; 1999, c. 115; 2001, cc. 637, 638, 642, 643; 2003, c. 232; 2007, c. 813; 2018, c. 465; 2022, c. 140; 2024, c. 309.

Repealed by Acts 2018, c. 464, cl. 2.

In addition to the other duties required by this title, the general registrar, and the deputy registrars acting under his supervision, shall:

1. Maintain the office of the general registrar and establish and maintain additional public places for voter registration in accordance with the provisions of § 24.2-412.

2. Participate in programs to educate the general public concerning registration and encourage registration by the general public. No registrar shall actively solicit, in a selective manner, any application for registration or for a ballot or offer anything of value for any such application.

3. Perform his duties within the county or city he was appointed to serve, except that a registrar may (i) go into a county or city in the Commonwealth contiguous to his county or city to register voters of his county or city when conducting registration jointly with the registrar of the contiguous county or city or (ii) notwithstanding any other provision of law, participate in multijurisdictional staffing for voter registration offices, approved by the State Board, that are located at facilities of the Department of Motor Vehicles.

4. Provide the appropriate forms for applications to register and to obtain the information necessary to complete the applications pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution of Virginia and general law.

5. Indicate on the registration records for each accepted mail voter registration application form returned by mail pursuant to Article 3.1 (§ 24.2-416.1 et seq.) of Chapter 4 that the registrant has registered by mail. The general registrar shall fulfill this duty in accordance with the instructions of the State Board so that those persons who registered by mail are identified on the registration records, lists of registered voters furnished pursuant to § 24.2-405, lists of persons who voted furnished pursuant to § 24.2-406, and pollbooks used for the conduct of elections.

6. Accept a registration application or request for transfer or change of address submitted by or for a resident of any other county or city in the Commonwealth. Registrars shall process registration applications and requests for transfer or change of address from residents of other counties and cities in accordance with written instructions from the State Board and shall forward the completed application or request to the registrar of the applicant's residence. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 24.2-416, the registrar of the applicant's residence shall recognize as timely any application or request for transfer or change of address submitted to any person authorized to receive voter registration applications pursuant to Chapter 4 (§ 24.2-400 et seq.), prior to or on the final day of registration. The registrar of the applicant's residence shall determine the qualification of the applicant, including whether the applicant has ever been convicted of a felony, and if so, under what circumstances the applicant's right to vote has been restored, and promptly notify the applicant at the address shown on the application or request of the acceptance or denial of his registration or transfer. However, notification shall not be required when the registrar does not have an address for the applicant.

7. Preserve order at and in the vicinity of the place of registration. For this purpose, the registrar shall be vested with the powers of a conservator of the peace while engaged in the duties imposed by law. He may exclude from the place of registration persons whose presence disturbs the registration process. He may appoint special officers, not exceeding three in number, for a place of registration and may summon persons in the vicinity to assist whenever, in his judgment, it is necessary to preserve order. The general registrar and any deputy registrar shall be authorized to administer oaths for purposes of this title.

8. Maintain the official registration records for his county or city in the system approved by, and in accordance with the instructions of, the State Board; preserve the written applications of all persons who are registered; and preserve for a period of four years the written applications of all persons who are denied registration or whose registration is cancelled.

9. If a person is denied registration, notify such person in writing of the denial and the reason for denial within five days of the denial in accordance with § 24.2-422.

10. Verify the accuracy of the pollbooks provided for each election by the State Board, make the pollbooks available to the precincts, and according to the instructions of the State Board provide a copy of the data from the pollbooks to the State Board after each election for voting credit purposes.

11. Retain the pollbooks in his principal office for two years from the date of the election.

12. Maintain accurate and current registration records and comply with the requirements of this title for the transfer, inactivation, and cancellation of voter registrations.

13. Whenever election districts, precincts, or polling places are altered, provide for entry into the voter registration system of the proper district and precinct designations for each registered voter whose districts or precinct have changed and notify each affected voter of changes affecting his districts or polling place by mail.

14. Whenever any part of his county or city becomes part of another jurisdiction by annexation, merger, or other means, transfer to the appropriate general registrar the registration records of the affected registered voters. The general registrar for their new county or city shall notify them by mail of the transfer and their new election districts and polling places.

15. When he registers any person who was previously registered in another state, notify the appropriate authority in that state of the person's registration in Virginia by providing electronically, through the Department of Elections, the information contained in that person's registration application.

16. Whenever any person is believed to be registered or voting in more than one state or territory of the United States at the same time, inquire about, or provide information from the voter's registration and voting records to any appropriate voter registration or other authority of another state or territory who inquires about, that person's registration and voting history.

17. At the request of the county or city chairman of any political party nominating a candidate for the General Assembly, constitutional office, or local office by a method other than a primary, review any petition required by the party in its nomination process to determine whether those signing the petition are registered voters with active status.

18. Carry out such other duties as prescribed by the electoral board in his capacity as the director of elections for the locality in which he serves.

19. Receive and maintain certification through the certification program conducted by the State Board for general registrars pursuant to subsection C of § 24.2-103. Each general registrar shall be required to receive certification through the certification program within 12 months of his initial appointment or any subsequent reappointment, unless a waiver has been granted by the State Board pursuant to subsection C of § 24.2-103.

Code 1950, §§ 24-59, 24-60, 24-60.1, 24-71 through 24-73, 24-90, 24-93, 24-94, 24-101, 24-111, 24-115, 24-118; 1950, p. 381; 1958, c. 576; 1962, cc. 422, 536; 1968, c. 143; 1970, c. 462, §§ 24.1-46, 24.1-54, 24.1-68; 1972, c. 620; 1973, c. 30; 1974, c. 428; 1976, c. 616; 1979, c. 329; 1980, c. 639; 1982, c. 650; 1983, c. 398; 1984, c. 480; 1986, c. 558; 1990, c. 193; 1993, c. 641; 1996, cc. 72, 73; 1998, c. 354; 2000, cc. 512, 556, 857; 2003, c. 1015; 2005, c. 380; 2010, c. 812; 2013, c. 491; 2015, cc. 644, 645; 2016, cc. 13, 633; 2019, c. 341; 2020, cc. 857, 1148; 2022, c. 140.