Laws governing ballot measures in Virginia
From Ballotpedia
This page provides an overview of resources addressing the laws and procedures that govern statewide and local ballot measures in Virginia, including constitutional amendments, recall procedures, and campaign finance regulations.
Explore the links below for more information:
- Types of ballot measures in Virginia
- Amending the Virginia Constitution
- Laws governing local ballot measures in Virginia
- Laws governing recall in Virginia
- Laws governing state constitutional conventions in Virginia
- Campaign finance requirements for Virginia ballot measures
- Changes to laws governing ballot measures in Virginia
Laws governing ballot measures in Virginia
Types of ballot measures in Virginia
- Virginia citizens do not have the power to initiate ballot measures at the state level.
- In Virginia, the legislature can refer constitutional amendments and bond measures to the ballot.
Amending the Virginia Constitution
- Virginia became a state in 1788. The state has had a total of six constitutions. The current state constitution was ratified in 1971.
- The Virginia Constitution can be amended in three ways:
- Legislatively referred constitutional amendment: A simple majority vote is required during two successive legislative sessions for the Virginia General Assembly to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot.
- Convention-referred constitutional amendment: A state constitutional convention can vote to refer constitutional changes to the ballot.
Laws governing local ballot measures in Virginia
- Only four cities in Virginia have an initiative and referendum process for local ballot measures.
- The initiative process is available in the four of the 229 Virginia charter municipalities that have exercised their home rule authority to institute such a process. They are Hampton, Lynchburg, Norfolk, and Portsmouth.[1]
Laws governing recall in Virginia
- Virginia allows for the recall of both state and local officials.
- In Virginia, the petition for recall must be signed by at least 10% of the number of people who voted in the last election for the office being recalled.
- Unlike other states that hold recall elections, when citizens have petitioned for a recall, it is then sent to the state Circuit Courts for trial.
Laws governing state constitutional conventions in Virginia
- According to Section 2 of Article XII, a constitutional convention can occur in Virginia if a two-thirds of the members of both houses of the Virginia State Legislature vote in favor of the question. No additional voter ratification on the question of whether to hold the convention is required.
Campaign finance requirements for Virginia ballot measures
- PACs that support or oppose ballot measures in Virginia must register and report campaign finance.
- Corporations and labor unions are permitted to donate to referendum committees. Referendum committees must report contributions of $10,000 or more within 72 hours to the State Board of Elections, whether the contribution is one-time or aggregate.
Changes to laws governing ballot measures in Virginia
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
- House Bill 2768 (Vetoed): The bill would have allowed voters in counties using a county manager plan system of government to authorize their board to set its size, elect a board chairman at-large, and change how members are elected through a referred measure by the board or an initiated petition.[2]
| HB 2768 Vote | Senate | House | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | NV | Yes | No | NV | |
| Total | 21 | 18 | 0 | 53 | 44 | 3 |
| Democratic (D) | 21 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 0 | 1 |
| Republican (R) | 0 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 44 | 2 |
See also
Footnotes
