{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/51.5-43.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/51.5-43.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/51.5-43.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/51.5-43.html"}],"law_id":79150,"edition_id":1,"section_id":79150,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-43","catch_line":"Discrimination against qualified persons with disabilities in exercising right to vote prohibited","history":"1985, c. 421, \u00a7 51.01-43.","full_text":"No person with a disability who is otherwise entitled to vote under the provisions of \u00a7 24.2-400 and who is not disqualified from voting under the provisions of \u00a7 24.2-101 shall be denied the opportunity to register or vote in this Commonwealth because of such disability. However, nothing in this section shall be construed to require the release of patients from any state hospital as defined in \u00a7 37.2-100 or prisoners of any state correctional facility as defined in \u00a7 53.1-1 for purposes of registering to vote or voting.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":283454,"text":"No person with a disability who is otherwise entitled to vote under the provisions of \u00a7 24.2-400 and who is not disqualified from voting under the provisions of \u00a7 24.2-101 shall be denied the opportunity to register or vote in this Commonwealth because of such disability. However, nothing in this section shall be construed to require the release of patients from any state hospital as defined in \u00a7 37.2-100 or prisoners of any state correctional facility as defined in \u00a7 53.1-1 for purposes of registering to vote or voting.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":14354,"edition_id":1,"name":"Rights of Persons With Disabilities","identifier":"9","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12761,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:47:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:47:51","permalink":{"id":237089,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14354,"identifier":"9","token":"51.5\/9","url":"\/51.5\/9\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12761,"edition_id":1,"name":"Persons With Disabilities","identifier":"51.5","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":236393,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12761,"identifier":"51.5","token":"51.5","url":"\/51.5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":55888,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-40","catch_line":"Nondiscrimination under state grants and programs","url":"\/51.5-40\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-40","metadata":false},{"id":60539,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-40.1","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/51.5-40.1\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-40.1","metadata":false},{"id":73313,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-41","catch_line":"Discrimination against otherwise qualified persons with disabilities by employers prohibited","url":"\/51.5-41\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-41","metadata":false},{"id":55669,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-42","catch_line":"Discrimination against otherwise qualified persons with disabilities by educational institutions prohibited","url":"\/51.5-42\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-42","metadata":false},{"id":79150,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-43","catch_line":"Discrimination against qualified persons with disabilities in exercising right to vote prohibited","url":"\/51.5-43\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-43","metadata":false},{"id":58207,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-44","catch_line":"Rights of persons with disabilities in public places and places of public accommodation","url":"\/51.5-44\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-44","metadata":false},{"id":77660,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-44.1","catch_line":"Fraudulent representation of a service dog or hearing dog; penalty","url":"\/51.5-44.1\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-44.1","metadata":false},{"id":77113,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-45","catch_line":"Right of persons with disabilities to housing accommodations","url":"\/51.5-45\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-45","metadata":false},{"id":78152,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-46","catch_line":"Remedies","url":"\/51.5-46\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-46","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":55669,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-42","catch_line":"Discrimination against otherwise qualified persons with disabilities by educational institutions prohibited","url":"\/51.5-42\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-42","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":58207,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-44","catch_line":"Rights of persons with disabilities in public places and places of public accommodation","url":"\/51.5-44\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-44","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/51.5-43\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1985. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 421 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1985 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":61543,"section_number":"24.2-101","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/24.2-101\/"},{"id":70213,"section_number":"24.2-400","catch_line":"Persons entitled to register and vote","order_by":null,"url":"\/24.2-400\/"},{"id":76036,"section_number":"37.2-100","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/37.2-100\/"},{"id":85635,"section_number":"53.1-1","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/53.1-1\/"}],"permalink":{"id":237107,"object_type":"law","relational_id":79150,"identifier":"51.5-43","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-43","url":"\/51.5-43\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/51.5-43\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-43","dublin_core":{"Title":"Discrimination against qualified persons with disabilities in exercising right to vote prohibited","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 51.5-43","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

No person with a disability<\/span> who is otherwise entitled to vote under the provisions of \u00a7 24.2-400<\/a> and who is not disqualified from voting under the provisions of \u00a7 24.2-101<\/a> shall be denied the opportunity to register or vote in this Commonwealth because of such disability. However, nothing in this section shall be construed to require the release of patients from any state hospital as defined in \u00a7 37.2-100<\/a> or prisoners of any state correctional facility as defined in \u00a7 53.1-1<\/a> for purposes of registering to vote or voting.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDISCRIMINATION AGAINST QUALIFIED PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN EXERCISING RIGHT\nTO VOTE PROHIBITED (\u00a7 51.5-43)\n\nNo person with a disability who is otherwise entitled to vote under the\nprovisions of \u00a7 24.2-400 and who is not disqualified from voting under the\nprovisions of \u00a7 24.2-101 shall be denied the opportunity to register or vote in\nthis Commonwealth because of such disability. However, nothing in this section\nshall be construed to require the release of patients from any state hospital as\ndefined in \u00a7 37.2-100 or prisoners of any state correctional facility as\ndefined in \u00a7 53.1-1 for purposes of registering to vote or voting.\n\nHISTORY: 1985, c. 421, \u00a7 51.01-43.","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}}