NBC: Gov. Northam signs bills that expand access to voting in the Commonwealth

[Maddox]

Governor Northam signed the following bills:

• House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 111, allows early voting 45 days prior to an election without a stated excuse. Virginia currently requires voters who wish to vote absentee, provide the state with a reason, from a specific list, why they can’t vote on Election Day.
• House Bill 19 and Senate Bill 65, remove the requirement that voters show a photo ID prior to casting a ballot. Voter ID laws disenfranchise individuals who may not have access to photo identification and disproportionately impact low-income individuals, racial and ethnic minorities, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities.
• House Bill 108 and Senate Bill 601, make Election Day a state holiday, which will help ensure every Virginian has the time and opportunity to cast their ballot. In order to maintain the same number of state holidays, this measure repeals the current Lee-Jackson Day holiday, established over 100 years ago to honor Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.
• House Bill 235 and Senate Bill 219, implement automatic voter registration for individuals accessing service at a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office or the DMV website.
• House Bill 1678, extends in-person polling hours from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

“Voting is a fundamental right, and these new laws strengthen our democracy by making it easier to cast a ballot, not harder,” said Governor Northam. “No matter who you are or where you live in Virginia, your voice deserves to be heard. I’m proud to sign these bills into law.”

Gov. Northam signs bills that expand access to voting in the Commonwealth

Sunday, Governor Northam signed new laws that repeal Virginia’s voter ID law, make Election Day a state holiday in Virginia, and expand access to early voting.

www.nbc12.com

Gov. Ralph Northam has signed bills to roll back restrictions on abortion.

The governor on Friday signed Senate Bill 733 from Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, and House Bill 980 from House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria. The bills are known as the Reproductive Health Protection Act.

“No more will legislators in Richmond — most of whom are men — be telling women what they should and should not be doing with their bodies,” Northam said in a statement. “The Reproductive Health Protection Act will make women and families safer, and I’m proud to sign it into law.”

The measures repeal the state's mandatory ultrasound law and 24-hour waiting period prior to abortion. They also roll back regulations signed in 2012 by then-Gov. Bob McDonnell, which opponents called TRAP legislation — or “targeted regulation of abortion providers.”

https://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/northam-signs-bills-to-roll-back-abortion-restrictions/article_26cba5d2-6c10-59dd-9de8-b977df3dee9f.html