Virginia Legislation Proposes Greater Local Control for Satellite Voting Offices

The Virginia General Assembly is considering important legislation that would transfer significant authority regarding the operation of voter satellite offices from local electoral boards to the elected governing bodies of counties and cities. House Bill 71, introduced in the 2026 Regular Session, seeks to amend and reenact section 24.2-701.2 of the Code of Virginia, focusing specifically on absentee voting in person at these satellite offices and the determination of their days and hours of operation.

Currently, under existing provisions in the Virginia Code, the governing body of a county or city has the power to establish the number of voter satellite offices for in-person absentee voting. However, the specific days and hours during which these offices operate are set by the local electoral board. House Bill 71 would alter this arrangement by authorizing the governing body to prescribe, through the enactment of an ordinance, the dates and hours of operation for any such satellite offices that the locality chooses to establish.

The legislation specifies that any days and hours selected by the governing body must satisfy the minimum requirements outlined in the relevant statutes. This ensures that a baseline level of access is maintained while granting localities greater flexibility in scheduling.