HB319 • 2026

Back-end, opt-out automatic voter registration; work group to study implementation.

An Act to direct the Secretary of Administration to convene a work group on the implementation of back-end, opt-out automatic voter registration; report.

Elections Privacy

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Hernandez
Last action: 2026-04-13
Official status: Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not specify exact costs or benefits of back-end AVR.

Creating a Work Group to Study Automatic Voter Registration

This act requires the Secretary of Administration to create a work group that will study how to implement back-end, opt-out automatic voter registration in Virginia.

What This Bill Does

Directs the Department of Elections to convene a work group for studying back-end, opt-out automatic voter registration (AVR).
Includes members from various government agencies and organizations interested in voting rights and data privacy.
Asks the work group to compare back-end AVR with Virginia's current front-end AVR system regarding effectiveness, efficiency, and security.
Requires the Secretary of Administration to report findings by November 1, 2026.

Who It Names or Affects

The Department of Elections
Representatives from various government agencies and organizations

Terms To Know

Automatic Voter Registration (AVR): A system that automatically registers eligible voters when they interact with certain government services.
Back-end AVR: An automatic voter registration process where people are registered to vote without needing to take any action, and can opt-out if they choose.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify the exact costs or benefits of back-end AVR.
It is unclear what specific recommendations will be made by the work group.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HB319AC

2026-03-13 • Conference

Conference Report

Plain English: The amendment recommends rejecting a previous Senate proposal and accepting a new version to resolve disagreements about automatic voter registration.

Rejects the previous Senate Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (26108498D).
Accepts a new Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (26109757D) to address issues related to automatic voter registration.

The official text does not provide details about what changes are made in the new amendment, only that it is meant to resolve disagreements.
Without seeing the full content of Amendment (26109757D), we cannot explain specific changes or impacts.

HB319H1

2026-03-13 • Conference

Conference Report Substitute

Plain English: The amendment directs the Secretary of Administration to form a work group to study and report on the implementation of back-end, opt-out automatic voter registration in Virginia by November 1, 2026.

Adds representatives from various state agencies, committees, local officials, and organizations to the work group.
Requires the work group to focus on transitioning from front-end to back-end automatic voter registration.
Instructs the work group to assess the effectiveness, efficiency, security, costs, and benefits of back-end AVR.

The amendment does not specify exact membership numbers or roles for each representative in the work group.

Bill History

2026-04-13 Governor
Approved by Governor-Chapter 589 (effective 7/1/2026)
2026-04-13 Governor
Approved by Governor-Chapter 589 (effective 7/1/2026)
2026-04-13 Governor
Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0589)
2026-04-06 House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB319)
2026-03-31 House
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026
2026-03-31 Governor
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
2026-03-31 House
Signed by Speaker
2026-03-31 House
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026
2026-03-31 Governor
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
2026-03-30 Senate
Signed by President
2026-03-30 House
Enrolled
2026-03-30 House
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB319ER)
2026-03-16 House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB319)
2026-03-13 Conference
Conference Report released
2026-03-13 Senate
Conference report agreed to by Senate (21-Y 16-N 0-A)
2026-03-13 House
Conference report agreed to by House (61-Y 31-N 0-A)
2026-03-12 House
Conferees appointed by House
2026-03-12 House
House Conferees: Hernandez, Price, Cherry
2026-03-10 Senate
Senate Conferees: Rouse, Deeds, Williams Graves
2026-03-10 Senate
Conferees appointed by Senate
2026-03-09 House
House acceded to request
2026-03-06 Senate
Senate requested conference committee
2026-03-06 Senate
Senate insisted on amendments Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-03-04 House
Senate substitute rejected by House (0-Y 96-N 0-A)
2026-03-02 Senate
Read third time
2026-03-02 Senate
Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute
2026-03-02 Privileges and Elections
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB319)
2026-03-02 Privileges and Elections
Privileges and Elections Substitute agreed to
2026-03-02 Senate
Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 19-N 0-A)
2026-02-27 Senate
Read third time
2026-02-27 Senate
Passed by for the day
2026-02-27 Senate
Passed by for the day
2026-02-26 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-02-26 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-02-26 Senate
Passed by for the day
2026-02-26 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-26 Senate
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-02-24 Privileges and Elections
Reported from Privileges and Elections with substitute (8-Y 7-N)
2026-02-24 Senate
Senate committee offered
2026-02-24 Senate
Senate committee offered
2026-02-24 Privileges and Elections
Committee substitute printed 26108498D-S1
2026-02-18 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
2026-02-18 Privileges and Elections
Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
2026-02-17 House
Read third time and passed House (61-Y 35-N 0-A)
2026-02-16 House
Read second time and engrossed
2026-02-15 House
Read first time
2026-02-13 Privileges and Elections
Reported from Privileges and Elections (15-Y 6-N)
2026-02-09 Election Administration
Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 2-N)
2026-02-06 Election Administration
Assigned HPE sub: Election Administration
2026-02-03 House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB319)
2026-01-10 House
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101442D
2026-01-10 Privileges and Elections
Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections

Official Summary Text

Secretary of Administration; work group on automatic voter registration.
Directs the Department of Elections to convene a work group for the purpose of studying the implementation of back-end, opt-out automatic voter registration (AVR) in the Commonwealth. The work group shall include representatives of the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, and the Office of the Attorney General, in addition to members of the House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections, general registrars, and organizations advocating for or working on voting rights and data privacy. The work group is tasked with considering the effectiveness, efficiency, and security of back-end, opt-out AVR as compared to Virginia's current front-end, opt-out process and identifying the costs and benefits of moving to such a system. The Secretary of Administration is required to submit a report of the work group's findings to the Chairs of the House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections by November 1, 2026. This bill is identical to SB 658.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

An Act to direct the Secretary of Administration to convene a work group on the implementation of back-end, opt-out automatic voter registration; report.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1.
§ 1. The Secretary of Administration (the Secretary) shall convene a work group for the purpose of studying the implementation of back-end, opt-out automatic voter registration (AVR) in the Commonwealth. The work group shall consist of representatives from the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, and the Office of the Attorney General, members of the House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections, general registrars and other local governmental officials, and representatives from organizations advocating for or working on voting rights and data privacy, in addition to any other persons deemed necessary by the Secretary.
The focus of the work group shall be the move from the Commonwealth's current front-end, opt-out AVR to back-end, opt-out AVR. The work group shall consider the effectiveness, efficiency, and security of back-end, opt-out AVR as compared to front-end, opt-out AVR and identify the costs and benefits of implementing back-end, opt-out AVR in the Commonwealth. The work group shall identify current obstacles to implementation, including the capacity of current technology infrastructure, and estimate potential upfront and ongoing costs of back-end, opt-out AVR.
The Secretary shall submit a report to the Chairs of the House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections with the work group's findings by November 1, 2026. Such report shall include recommendations for legislative action, if the work group is making any such recommendations.