Virginia Election Administration and Capitation Tax Amendment (1949)

Virginia Election Administration and Capitation Tax Amendment
Election date November 8, 1949
Topic Election administration and governance and Literacy, poll tax, and property voting requirements
Status Defeated
Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

Virginia Election Administration and Capitation Tax Amendment was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Virginia on November 8, 1949. It was defeated.

A "yes" vote supported this constitutional amendment to: abolish the poll tax as a requirement for voting and authorize the General Assembly to establish literacy tests and other voting requirements; replace permanent voter registration with a system requiring annual renewal; require voters to register at least 120 days before an election, instead of the existing 30-day deadline; grant the State Board of Elections constitutional authority over local election boards and allow the General Assembly to determine how local board members are appointed; and allow the General Assembly to impose a $3 annual tax on adults for school funding, while also allowing local governments to impose an additional capitation tax of up to $1.

A "no" vote opposed this constitutional amendment, keeping the poll tax as a voting requirement, retaining permanent voter registration, maintaining the 30-day registration deadline, leaving local election board appointments with the courts, and preventing new tax authority for schools and local governments.

Election results

Virginia Election Administration and Capitation Tax Amendment
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		56,687	21.54%
No		206,542	78.46%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Election Administration and Capitation Tax Amendment was as follows:

“

Shall Sections 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 28, 31, 35, 38 and 173 of the Constitution of Virginia, which sections relate to the elective franchise, and, among other things, provide for the elimination of the poll tax as a prerequisite to voting, registration and renewal of registration of voters, the establishment of a State Board of Elections, and the levying of a school tax in lieu of the present capitation tax, be amended; and shall the Constitution be further amended by adding Section 31-a, providing for local boards of elections, and Section 38-a, prescribing the effective date of these amendments?

”

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the Virginia Constitution

A simple majority vote is required during two successive legislative sessions for the Virginia General Assembly to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 51 votes in the Virginia House of Delegates and 21 votes in the Virginia State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

In 1945, the Virginia General Assembly established a Suffrage Commission to study the state’s voting laws and recommend changes. The Commission was composed of two state senators, two members of the House of Delegates, and five citizens appointed by the governor. The Commission’s recommendations formed the basis of the proposed constitutional amendment, which the General Assembly passed in 1946 and again in 1948.

See also

1949 Measures

• 1949 Measures
• Election administration and governance on the ballot
• Public education funding on the ballot
• Literacy on the ballot
• poll tax on the ballot
• and property voting requirements on the ballot
• Voter registration on the ballot
• 1949 legislative sessions

Virginia

• Virginia ballot measures
• Virginia ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• Virginia Statement of Votes (1949)