{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/24.2-638.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/24.2-638.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/24.2-638.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/24.2-638.html"}],"law_id":60602,"edition_id":1,"section_id":60602,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-638","catch_line":"Voting equipment to be in plain view; officers and others not permitted to see actual voting; unlocking counter compartment of equipment, etc","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 24-305; 1962, c. 260; 1970, c. 462, \u00a7 24.1-215; 1985, c. 458; 1993, c. 641; 2004, cc. 978, 993, 1006, 1010; 2009, c. 494; 2014, cc. 540, 576; 2016, cc. 18, 492; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 163.","full_text":"During the election, the exterior of the voting equipment and every part of the polling place shall be in plain view of the officers of election.\n\t\tNo voting or counting machines shall be removed from the plain view of the officers of election or from the polling place at any time during the election and through the determination of the vote as provided in \u00a7 24.2-657, except as provided in subsection D of \u00a7 24.2-649.1. In the case of an emergency that makes a polling place unusable or inaccessible, voting or counting machines may be removed to an alternative polling place pursuant to the provisions of subsection D of \u00a7 24.2-310.\n\t\tThe equipment shall be placed at least four feet from any table where an officer of election is working or seated. The officers of election shall not themselves be, or permit any other person to be, in any position or near any position that will permit them to observe how a voter votes or has voted.\n\t\tOne of the officers shall inspect the face of the voting machine after each voter has cast his vote and verify that the ballots on the face of the machine are in their proper places and that the machine has not been damaged. During an election, the door or other covering of the counter compartment of the voting or counting machine shall not be unlocked or open or the counters exposed except for good and sufficient reasons, a statement of which shall be made and signed by the officers of election and attached to the statement of results. No person shall be permitted in or about the polling place except the voting equipment custodian, vendor, or contractor technicians and other persons authorized by this title.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":221500,"text":"During the election, the exterior of the voting equipment and every part of the polling place shall be in plain view of the officers of election.\n\t\tNo voting or counting machines shall be removed from the plain view of the officers of election or from the polling place at any time during the election and through the determination of the vote as provided in \u00a7 24.2-657, except as provided in subsection D of \u00a7 24.2-649.1. In the case of an emergency that makes a polling place unusable or inaccessible, voting or counting machines may be removed to an alternative polling place pursuant to the provisions of subsection D of \u00a7 24.2-310.\n\t\tThe equipment shall be placed at least four feet from any table where an officer of election is working or seated. The officers of election shall not themselves be, or permit any other person to be, in any position or near any position that will permit them to observe how a voter votes or has voted.\n\t\tOne of the officers shall inspect the face of the voting machine after each voter has cast his vote and verify that the ballots on the face of the machine are in their proper places and that the machine has not been damaged. During an election, the door or other covering of the counter compartment of the voting or counting machine shall not be unlocked or open or the counters exposed except for good and sufficient reasons, a statement of which shall be made and signed by the officers of election and attached to the statement of results. No person shall be permitted in or about the polling place except the voting equipment custodian, vendor, or contractor technicians and other persons authorized by this title.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":14748,"edition_id":1,"name":"Voting Equipment and Systems","identifier":"3","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13022,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:49:42","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:49:42","permalink":{"id":188537,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14748,"identifier":"3","token":"24.2\/6\/3","url":"\/24.2\/6\/3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13022,"edition_id":1,"name":"The Election","identifier":"6","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12937,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:09","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:09","permalink":{"id":188395,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13022,"identifier":"6","token":"24.2\/6","url":"\/24.2\/6\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12937,"edition_id":1,"name":"Elections","identifier":"24.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:03","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:03","permalink":{"id":187149,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12937,"identifier":"24.2","token":"24.2","url":"\/24.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":81594,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-625","catch_line":"Application of Title 24.2 and general law","url":"\/24.2-625\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-625","metadata":false},{"id":64556,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-625.1","catch_line":"Voting equipment security","url":"\/24.2-625.1\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-625.1","metadata":false},{"id":75404,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-625.2","catch_line":"Wireless communications at polling places","url":"\/24.2-625.2\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-625.2","metadata":false},{"id":56486,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-626","catch_line":"Governing bodies shall acquire electronic voting systems","url":"\/24.2-626\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-626","metadata":false},{"id":75102,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-626.1","catch_line":"Acquisition and use of accessible voting devices","url":"\/24.2-626.1\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-626.1","metadata":false},{"id":71016,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-627","catch_line":"Electronic voting systems; number required","url":"\/24.2-627\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-627","metadata":false},{"id":69036,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-628","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/24.2-628\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-628","metadata":false},{"id":83263,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-629","catch_line":"State Board approval process of electronic voting systems","url":"\/24.2-629\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-629","metadata":false},{"id":85534,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-630","catch_line":"Experimental use of approved systems","url":"\/24.2-630\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-630","metadata":false},{"id":69604,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-631","catch_line":"Experimental use of voting systems and ballots prior to approval of the system","url":"\/24.2-631\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-631","metadata":false},{"id":63370,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-632","catch_line":"Voting equipment custodians","url":"\/24.2-632\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-632","metadata":false},{"id":67570,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-633","catch_line":"Notice of final testing of voting system; sealing equipment","url":"\/24.2-633\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-633","metadata":false},{"id":70313,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-634","catch_line":"Locking and securing after preparation","url":"\/24.2-634\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-634","metadata":false},{"id":65283,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-635","catch_line":"Demonstration of equipment","url":"\/24.2-635\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-635","metadata":false},{"id":82884,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-636","catch_line":"Instruction as to use of equipment","url":"\/24.2-636\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-636","metadata":false},{"id":59705,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-637","catch_line":"Furniture and equipment to be at polling places","url":"\/24.2-637\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-637","metadata":false},{"id":60602,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-638","catch_line":"Voting equipment to be in plain view; officers and others not permitted to see actual voting; unlocking counter compartment of equipment, etc","url":"\/24.2-638\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-638","metadata":false},{"id":56688,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-639","catch_line":"Duties of officers of election","url":"\/24.2-639\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-639","metadata":false},{"id":69224,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-640","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/24.2-640\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-640","metadata":false},{"id":82022,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-641","catch_line":"Sample ballot","url":"\/24.2-641\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-641","metadata":false},{"id":80339,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-642","catch_line":"Inoperative equipment","url":"\/24.2-642\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-642","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":59705,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-637","catch_line":"Furniture and equipment to be at polling places","url":"\/24.2-637\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-637","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":56688,"structure_id":14748,"section_number":"24.2-639","catch_line":"Duties of officers of election","url":"\/24.2-639\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-639","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/24.2-638\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 8 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1962, chapter 260; in 1970, chapter 462; in 1985, chapter 458; in 1993, chapter 641; in 2004, chapters 978<\/a>, 993<\/a>, 1006<\/a>, and 1010<\/a>; in 2009, chapter 494<\/a>; in 2014, chapters 540<\/a> and 576<\/a>; in 2016, chapters 18<\/a> and 492<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":66699,"section_number":"24.2-310","catch_line":"Requirements for polling places","order_by":null,"url":"\/24.2-310\/"},{"id":54944,"section_number":"24.2-649.1","catch_line":"Assistance for certain voters outside of the polling place","order_by":null,"url":"\/24.2-649.1\/"},{"id":85065,"section_number":"24.2-657","catch_line":"Determination of vote on voting systems","order_by":null,"url":"\/24.2-657\/"}],"permalink":{"id":188603,"object_type":"law","relational_id":60602,"identifier":"24.2-638","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-638","url":"\/24.2-638\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/24.2-638\/","token":"24.2\/6\/3\/24.2-638","dublin_core":{"Title":"Voting equipment to be in plain view; officers and others not permitted to see actual voting; unlocking counter compartment of equipment, etc","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 24.2-638","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

During the election, the exterior of the voting equipment and every part of the polling place<\/span> shall be in plain view of the officers of election.\n\t\tNo voting or counting machines shall be removed from the plain view of the officers of election or from the polling place<\/span> at any time during the election and through the determination of the vote as provided in \u00a7 24.2-657<\/a>, except as provided in subsection D of \u00a7 24.2-649.1<\/a>. In the case of an emergency that makes a polling place<\/span> unusable or inaccessible, voting or counting machines may be removed to an alternative polling place<\/span> pursuant to the provisions of subsection D of \u00a7 24.2-310<\/a>.\n\t\tThe equipment shall be placed at least four feet from any table where an officer of election<\/span> is working or seated. The officers of election shall not themselves be, or permit any other person to be, in any position or near any position that will permit them to observe how a voter votes or has voted.\n\t\tOne of the officers shall inspect the face of the voting machine after each voter has cast his vote and verify that the ballots on the face of the machine are in their proper places and that the machine has not been damaged. During an election, the door or other covering of the counter compartment of the voting or counting machine shall not be unlocked or open or the counters exposed except for good and sufficient reasons, a statement of which shall be made and signed by the officers of election and attached to the statement of results. No person shall be permitted in or about the polling place<\/span> except the voting equipment custodian, vendor, or contractor technicians and other persons authorized by this title.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nVOTING EQUIPMENT TO BE IN PLAIN VIEW; OFFICERS AND OTHERS NOT PERMITTED TO SEE\nACTUAL VOTING; UNLOCKING COUNTER COMPARTMENT OF EQUIPMENT, ETC (\u00a7 24.2-638)\n\nDuring the election, the exterior of the voting equipment and every part of the\npolling place shall be in plain view of the officers of election.\n\t\tNo voting or counting machines shall be removed from the plain view of the\nofficers of election or from the polling place at any time during the election\nand through the determination of the vote as provided in \u00a7 24.2-657, except as\nprovided in subsection D of \u00a7 24.2-649.1. In the case of an emergency that\nmakes a polling place unusable or inaccessible, voting or counting machines may\nbe removed to an alternative polling place pursuant to the provisions of\nsubsection D of \u00a7 24.2-310.\n\t\tThe equipment shall be placed at least four feet from any table where an\nofficer of election is working or seated. The officers of election shall not\nthemselves be, or permit any other person to be, in any position or near any\nposition that will permit them to observe how a voter votes or has voted.\n\t\tOne of the officers shall inspect the face of the voting machine after each\nvoter has cast his vote and verify that the ballots on the face of the machine\nare in their proper places and that the machine has not been damaged. During an\nelection, the door or other covering of the counter compartment of the voting or\ncounting machine shall not be unlocked or open or the counters exposed except\nfor good and sufficient reasons, a statement of which shall be made and signed\nby the officers of election and attached to the statement of results. No person\nshall be permitted in or about the polling place except the voting equipment\ncustodian, vendor, or contractor technicians and other persons authorized by\nthis title.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 24-305; 1962, c. 260; 1970, c. 462, \u00a7 24.1-215; 1985, c.\n458; 1993, c. 641; 2004, cc. 978, 993, 1006, 1010; 2009, c. 494; 2014, cc. 540,\n576; 2016, cc. 18, 492; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 163.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}