Investigations

Rob Bell
Delegate, 58th District

Three of my bills to fight voter fraud just passed the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections.

House Bill 1765 would keep felons off our voter rolls by enabling local registrars to check criminal status at time of registration, and adding an annual check of the entire voter list to ensure that no felon has been added. This is to prevent felons from having their votes counted, as occurred in Louisa in 2008.

House Bill 1764 would help prevent people from registering and voting in multiple states. (This requires cooperation from the other state; currently some 25 other states plan to opt in.)

Both of these bills passed unanimously.

My third bill inspired more controversy. House Bill 2331 would empower the Attorney General to investigate voter fraud in Virginia. (Right now he has to be invited.) This sparked a lively discussion (perhaps because there were five past or current Attorney General candidates in the room)! In the end, it passed on a party line vote, 8-7.

All three measures will now come to the floor of the Senate for a vote.  Please contact your State Senator in support.

P.S. - I'm also happy to support the Senate Bills moving through the House, including Senator Black's Senate Bill 719; Senator Obenshain's Senate Bills 1077 and 1256; and Senator Stanley's Senate Bill 1008. Taken as a whole, these would all help prevent voter fraud.