SB 176 VA

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Elections; conduct of election; ranked choice voting; locally elected offices; report. Expands the option to use ranked choice voting from only elections for county board of supervisors and city councils to any local governing body. The bill requires the State Board of Elections to provide standards and to approve vote tabulating software for use with existing voting systems in elections conducted by ranked choice voting. The bill provides for copying damaged or defective ballots that cannot be properly counted by electronic voting systems. The bill allows localities to request risk-limiting audits of elections conducted using ranked choice voting and provides that no such election may be included in any random drawing required to satisfy the general requirements for risk-limiting audits. The bill specifies that the State Board is required to produce generalized voter education materials on ranked choice voting and is also permitted to create and modify recount procedures to the extent necessary to accommodate a recount of an election. The bill directs the Department of Elections to review the testing and approval framework for voting equipment in the Commonwealth and submit a report of such review no later than the first day of the 2027 Regular Session of the General Assembly. Finally, the bill repeals the 2031 expiration of the option to use ranked choice voting in elections, making such option permanent. This bill is identical to HB 630.

• Schuyler T. VanValkenburg Democratic · primary

1. Jan 8, 2026 Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104635D · upper
2. Jan 8, 2026 Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections · upper
3. Jan 26, 2026 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB176) · upper
4. Jan 27, 2026 Reported from Privileges and Elections (8-Y 5-N 1-A) · upper
5. Jan 29, 2026 Rules suspended · upper
6. Jan 29, 2026 Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) · upper
7. Jan 29, 2026 Passed by for the day (Voice Vote) · upper
8. Jan 29, 2026 Passed by for the day · upper
9. Jan 30, 2026 Read second time · upper
10. Jan 30, 2026 Read second time · upper
11. Jan 30, 2026 Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote) · upper
12. Feb 2, 2026 Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A) · upper
13. Feb 5, 2026 Placed on Calendar · lower
14. Feb 5, 2026 Read first time · lower
15. Feb 5, 2026 Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections · lower
16. Feb 20, 2026 Reported from Privileges and Elections (15-Y 6-N) · lower
17. Feb 24, 2026 Read second time · lower
18. Feb 25, 2026 Read third time · lower
19. Feb 25, 2026 Passed House (64-Y 34-N 0-A) · lower
20. Feb 27, 2026 Enrolled · upper
21. Feb 27, 2026 Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB176ER) · upper
22. Feb 27, 2026 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB176) · upper
23. Feb 27, 2026 Signed by Speaker · lower
24. Feb 27, 2026 Signed by President · upper
25. Mar 10, 2026 Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026 · upper
26. Mar 10, 2026 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 · executive
27. Apr 11, 2026 Governor's recommendation received by Senate · executive

The published texts of this bill as it moves through the legislature. Each links to the official document on the state legislature site. Data from OpenStates.

• Governor Substitute · PDF
• Governor Substitute · HTML
• Governor's Recommendation · HTML
• Enrolled · PDF
• Enrolled · HTML
• Introduced · PDF
• Introduced · HTML