McAuliffe Vetoes Bill to Share Data About Voters Registered in Multiple States

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D.) vetoed a bill that would require the state Department of Elections to turn over information to local registrars about individuals who are registered to vote in multiple states simultaneously.

McAuliffe has vetoed a handful of bills in recent weeks intended to prevent voter fraud.

The bill, HB 2343, was introduced by Republican delegate Robert B. Bell and would have required the Department of Elections "to provide to the general registrars a list of registered voters who have been found through list comparisons and data-matching exchanges with other states to be registered in another state."

The bill passed the Virginia House on a 68-30 vote and the Senate on a 23-15 vote. McAuliffe's veto statement called said the bill would make "unnecessary changes to the election system that could improperly disenfranchise qualified Virginians."

"Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 2343. Requiring the Department of Elections to provide lists of certain voters who may have moved to localities after the Department has conducted list maintenance activities in compliance with state and federal law increases the administrative burden on localities which are currently struggling with limited resources," his veto statement reads.

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