                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY (§ 24.2-545)

A. The duly constituted authorities of the state political party shall have the
right to determine the method by which the state party will select its delegates
to the national convention to choose the party&#8217;s nominees for President
and Vice President of the United States including a presidential primary or
another method determined by the party. The state chairman shall notify the
State Board of the party&#8217;s determination at least 90 days before the
primary date. If the party has determined that it will hold a presidential
primary, each registered voter of the Commonwealth shall be given an opportunity
to participate in the presidential primary of the political party, as defined in
&#xA7; 24.2-101, subject to requirements determined by the political party for
participation in its presidential primary. The requirements may include, but
shall not be limited to, the signing of a pledge by the voter of his intention
to support the party&#8217;s candidate when offering to vote in the primary. The
requirements applicable to a party&#8217;s primary shall be determined at least
90 days prior to the primary date and certified to, and approved by, the State
Board.

B. Any person seeking the nomination of the national political party for the
office of President of the United States, or any group organized in the
Commonwealth on behalf of, and with the consent of such person, may file with
the State Board petitions signed by at least 5,000 qualified voters, including
at least 200 qualified voters from each congressional district in the
Commonwealth, who attest that they intend to participate in the primary of the
same political party as the candidate for whom the petitions are filed. Such
petitions shall be filed with the State Board by the primary filing deadline.
The petitions shall be on a form prescribed by the State Board and shall be
sealed in one or more containers to which is attached a written statement giving
the name of the presidential candidate and the number of signatures on the
petitions contained in the containers. Such person or group shall also attach a
list of the names of persons who would be elected delegates and alternate
delegates to the political party&#8217;s national convention if the person wins
the primary and the party has determined that its delegates will be selected
pursuant to the primary. The slate of delegates and alternates shall comply with
the rules of the national and state party.
			The State Board shall transmit the material so filed to the state chairman of
the party of the candidate immediately after the primary filing deadline. The
sealed containers containing the petitions for a candidate may be opened only by
the state chairman of the party of the candidate. The state chairman of the
party shall, by the deadline set by the State Board, furnish to the State Board
the names of all candidates who have satisfied the requirements of this section.
In furnishing the name of each such candidate, the state chairman shall certify
that a review of the filed candidate petitions found the required minimum number
of signatures of qualified voters for that office to have been met. Whenever
only one candidate for a party&#8217;s nomination for President of the United
States has met the requirements to have his name on the ballot, he will be
declared the winner and no presidential primary for that party will be held.

C. The names of all candidates in the presidential primary of each political
party shall appear on the ballot in an order determined by lot by the State
Board.

D. The State Board shall certify the results of the presidential primary to the
state chairman. If the party has determined that its delegates and alternates
will be selected pursuant to the primary, the slate of delegates and alternates
of the candidate receiving the most votes in the primary shall be deemed elected
by the state party unless the party has determined another method for allocation
of delegates and alternates. If the party has determined to use another method
for selecting delegates and alternates, those delegates and alternates shall be
bound to vote on the first ballot at the national convention for the candidate
receiving the most votes in the primary unless that candidate releases those
delegates and alternates from such vote.

E. The election, or binding of votes, of delegates to a political party&#8217;s
national convention for the nomination of that party&#8217;s candidates for
President and Vice President of the United States through the presidential
primary process shall be considered to be equivalent to a primary for the
nomination of a party&#8217;s candidate.

F. The cost of the presidential primary shall be paid by the Commonwealth
pursuant to the provisions of the appropriation act.

HISTORY: 1999, c. 972; 2000, c. 379; 2003, c. 1015; 2011, cc. 570, 584; 2013,
cc. 443, 521, 550.