A bill has been introduced in the Virginia legislature to make it illegal for petition circulators to be paid on a per-signature basis. It is HB 2642, sponsored by Delegate Robert Orrick (R-Thornburg). The bill also requires people who register to vote to submit proof that they are U.S. citizens, effective in 2010.
How about NO payments for TYRANT legislators for each bill they introduce ??
Is there a WAR by the gerrymander TYRANTS in the ANTI-Democracy State legisatures against REAL Democracy or what ???
P.R. and A.V. — before Civil WAR II starts.
Will or rather should the bill also include the requirement that the person seeking office submit proof that they are also a U.S. Citizen?
What’s weird about this is that Virginia does not have citizens initiative or referenda at the statewide level and it is in states that have this that these bills to make it more difficult to get on the ballot usually get passed. I think that there is initiative and/or referenda at the local level in at least a few cities in Virginia, some of them might have local recalls as well. Hopefully this won’t pass as it will create yet another ballot access hurdle and make it more difficult to put candidates and/or local issues on the ballot in Virginia.
I fear that the enforcement of the proof of citizenship would be like the enforcement of Virginia’s literacy test during the Jim Crow era.
There is a major Constitutional problem with requiring proof of citizenship in order to vote. Most hospitals charge for producing a birth certificate. The proof of citizenship would therefore become a poll tax.
Virginia’s registration form already requires the person to sign an oath that they are a citizen of the United State and a residence of the Commonwealth of Virginia. This extra requirement is nothing more than an unnecessary obstruction to vote.