RICHMOND, Va. – Government employees have had Lee-Jackson Day off for the final time.
Gov. Northam announced that among the voting-related bills he signed, House Bill 108 and Senate Bill 601 will make Election Day a state holiday while stripping Lee-Jackson Day of that status, to maintain the same number of state holidays.
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The governor also signed House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 111, which allows Virginians to vote 45 days prior to an election without a stated excuse. Currently voters who wish to vote absentee must provide a reason, from an approved list, why they are unable to vote on Election Day.
Here are some of the other bills the governor signed related to expanding access to voting:
- House Bill 19 and Senate Bill 65 remove the requirement that voters show a photo ID before voting
- House Bill 235 and Senate Bill 219 implement automatic voter registration for those accessing service at a Department of Motor Vehicles office or the DMV website.
- House Bill 238, House Bill 239 and Senate Bill 455 expand absentee voting timelines
- House Bill 1678 extend in-person polling hours from to 8:00 p.m. across Virginia