On February 9, the Virginia Senate defeated SB 62 by a vote of 24-16. The bill would have provided that voter registration forms ask voters to choose a party, or to choose independent status. Then, any qualified party would have been free to decide for itself whether to continue to let all registered voters vote in its primary, or to limit its primary only to party members, or to limit its primary to members and independents, but not members of other parties.

The Virginia Senate has 20 Republicans and 20 Democrats. All the Democrats voted “No”, and four Republican State Senators also voted no: Harry Blevins, Walter Stosch, Frank W. Wagner, and John C. Watkins.