                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

POWERS AND DUTIES IN GENERAL; REPORT (§ 24.2-103)

A. The State Board, through the Department of Elections, shall supervise and
coordinate the work of the county and city electoral boards and of the
registrars to obtain uniformity in their practices and proceedings and legality
and purity in all elections. Its supervision shall ensure that major risks to
election integrity are (i) identified and assessed and (ii) addressed as
necessary to promote election uniformity, legality, and purity. It shall make
rules and regulations and issue instructions and provide information consistent
with the election laws to the electoral boards and registrars to promote the
proper administration of election laws. Electoral boards and registrars shall
provide information requested by the State Board and shall follow (a) the
elections laws and (b) the rules and regulations of the State Board insofar as
they do not conflict with Virginia or federal law. The State Board shall post on
the Internet within three business days any rules or regulations made by the
State Board. Upon request and at a reasonable charge not to exceed the actual
cost incurred, the State Board shall provide to any requesting political party
or candidate, within three days of the receipt of the request, copies of any
instructions or information provided by the State Board to the local electoral
boards and registrars.

B. The State Board, through the Department of Elections, shall ensure that the
members of the electoral boards are properly trained to carry out their duties
by offering training annually, or more often, as it deems appropriate, and
without charging any fees to the electoral boards for the training.

C. The State Board, through the Department of Elections, shall conduct a
certification program for the general registrars and shall require each general
registrar to receive certification through such program from the Department
within 12 months of his initial appointment or any subsequent reappointment. The
State Board may grant a waiver requested by a local electoral board to extend,
on a case-by-case basis, this deadline by up to three months. The State Board
shall develop a training curriculum for the certification program and standards
for completing the program and maintaining certification, including required
hours of annual training. No fees shall be charged to a general registrar for
any required training as part of the certification program. The State Board
shall review the certification program every four years, or more often as it
deems appropriate.

D. The State Board shall set the training standards for the officers of election
and shall develop standardized training programs for the officers of election to
be conducted by the local electoral boards and the general registrars. Training
of the officers of election shall be conducted and certified as provided by
&#xA7; 24.2-115.2. The State Board shall provide standardized training materials
for such training and shall also offer on the Department of Elections website a
training course for officers of election. The content of the online training
course shall be consistent with the standardized training programs developed
pursuant to this section. The State Board shall review the standardized training
materials and the content of the online training course every two years in the
year immediately following a general election for federal office.

E. The State Board may institute proceedings pursuant to &#xA7; 24.2-234.1 for
the removal of any member of an electoral board or general registrar who fails
to discharge the duties of his office in accordance with law. Such action shall
require a recorded majority vote of the Board.

F. The State Board may petition a circuit court or the Supreme Court, whichever
is appropriate, for a writ of mandamus or prohibition, or other available legal
relief, for the purpose of ensuring that elections are conducted as provided by
law.

G. The Department of Elections shall supervise its own staff to assure that no
member of its staff shall serve (i) as the chairman of a political party or
other officer of a state-, local-, or district-level political party committee
or (ii) as a paid or volunteer worker in the campaign of a candidate for
nomination or election to an office filled by election in whole or in part by
the qualified voters of the Commonwealth.

H. The Department of Elections shall employ a Director of Operations who shall
be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations at the Department of
Elections and ensuring (i) fulfillment of the Department&#8217;s mission and
responsibilities; (ii) compliance with state and federal election laws and
regulations; and (iii) compliance with the Department&#8217;s business,
administrative, and financial policies. This position shall be a full-time
classified position subject to the Virginia Personnel Act (&#xA7; 2.2-2900 et
seq.).

I. The State Board shall adopt a seal for its use and bylaws for its own
proceedings.

J. The State Board shall submit an annual report to the Governor and the General
Assembly on the activities of the State Board and the Department of Elections in
the previous year. Such report shall be governed by the provisions of &#xA7;
2.2-608.

HISTORY: Code 1950, §§ 24-24, 24-25, 24-345.10, 24-345.11; 1952, c. 509; 1956,
c. 392; 1970, c. 462, §§ 24.1-18, 24.1-19; 1973, c. 30; 1975, c. 515; 1977, c.
576; 1980, c. 728; 1984, c. 444; 1993, c. 641; 1999, c. 861; 2004, cc. 27, 391;
2006, c. 760; 2009, c. 407; 2010, cc. 347, 769; 2013, cc. 525, 542; 2016, cc.
752, 766; 2020, cc. 291, 353, 619, 1087, 1148; 2023, cc. 256, 257.