On February 10, Virginia HB 1151 passed the House Privileges and Elections Committee unanimously. This is the bill that says the old U.S. House districts should be used for anyone circulating a petition for either primary ballot access, or general election ballot access, this year. The Committee amended the bill to make it applicable to Presidential petitions.

Until this bill passes, no one can be circulating for President in the general election, or U.S. Senate or U.S. House in either the primary or general elections. That is because no one knows what the district boundaries will be. But assuming it passes and is signed into law quickly, then petitioning for all federal offices can start. Bill Redpath persuaded the bill’s author, Delegate Mark Cole, to amend his bill so that it includes presidential petitions. The reason presidential petitions are affected is that the petition must list a presidential elector candidate who lives in each district, but the bill will permit the list to be drawn up based on the old boundaries.