SB658
Automatic voter registration; study of potential statutory improvements.
Status:
Passed
Latest Action:
March 16, 2026
Senate: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB658)
Chief Patron:
Aaron Rouse (D)
Session:
2026 Regular Session
Summary
As Passed House of Origin. Secretary of Administration; work group on automatic voter registration.
Directs the Department of Elections to convene a work group for the purpose of studying the implementation of back-end, opt-out automatic voter registration. The work group will include representatives of the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, and the Office of the Attorney General, in addition to ... (More) members of the House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections, general registrars, and organizations advocating for or working on voting rights and data privacy. The work group is tasked with considering the effectiveness, efficiency, and security of back-end, opt-out automatic voter registration as compared to Virginia's current front-end, opt-out process, and identifying the costs and benefits of moving to such a system. (Less)-
Bill History
- 01/14/2026 - Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26105126D
- 01/14/2026 - Senate: Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
- 02/03/2026 - Senate: Senate committee offered
- 02/03/2026 - Senate: Reported from Privileges and Elections with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (8-Y 6-N)
- 02/03/2026 - Senate: Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations
- 02/03/2026 - Senate: Committee substitute printed 26107067D-S1
- 02/10/2026 - Senate: Reported from Finance and Appropriations (10-Y 5-N)
- 02/11/2026 - Senate: Rules suspended
- 02/11/2026 - Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
- 02/11/2026 - Senate: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
- 02/12/2026 - Senate: Read second time
- 02/12/2026 - Senate: Committee substitute agreed to (Voice Vote)
- 02/12/2026 - Senate: Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute (Voice Vote)
- 02/13/2026 - Senate: Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 18-N 0-A) Close Floor Vote
- 02/17/2026 - Senate: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB658)
- 02/19/2026 - House: Placed on Calendar
- 02/19/2026 - House: Read first time
- 02/19/2026 - House: Referred to Committee on Rules
- 03/01/2026 - House: Assigned HRUL sub: Studies Subcommittee
- 03/01/2026 - House: Placed on Rules Agenda
- 03/02/2026 - House: Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (4-Y 1-N)
- 03/02/2026 - Senate: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB658)
- 03/05/2026 - House: Placed on Rules Agenda
- 03/06/2026 - House: Reported from Rules with substitute (12-Y 6-N)
- 03/06/2026 - House: Committee substitute printed 26108948D-H1
- 03/10/2026 - House: Read second time
- 03/11/2026 - House: Read third time
- 03/11/2026 - House: committee substitute agreed to
- 03/11/2026 - House: Engrossed by House - committee substitute
- 03/11/2026 - House: Passed House with substitute (64-Y 35-N 0-A) Close Floor Vote
- 03/12/2026 - Senate: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB658)
- 03/12/2026 - Senate: House substitute rejected by Senate (0-Y 40-N 0-A)
- 03/12/2026 - House: House insisted on substitute
- 03/12/2026 - House: House requested conference committee
- 03/12/2026 - Senate: Senate acceded to request (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
- 03/12/2026 - Senate: Conferees appointed by Senate
- 03/12/2026 - Senate: Senate Conferees: Rouse, Srinivasan, Diggs
- 03/12/2026 - House: Conferees appointed by House
- 03/12/2026 - House: House Conferees: Hernandez, Price, Cherry
- 03/12/2026 - Senate: Senate acceded to request
- 03/13/2026 - Senate: Conference substitute printed 26109786D-S2
- 03/13/2026 - Conference Report released
- 03/13/2026 - Senate: Conference report agreed to by Senate (21-Y 18-N 0-A) Close Floor Vote
- 03/13/2026 - House: Conference report agreed to by House (61-Y 33-N 0-A) Close Floor Vote
- 03/16/2026 - Senate: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB658)
