2020-02-05 Early Voting PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
RESOLUTION # 2020-02-05
WHEREAS, at the Business Meeting of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors (the"Board")held on
Tuesday, February 18, 2020,in the General District Courtroom of the Edwin R. Shields Courthouse Addition,the
following Resolution was presented and adopted:
WHEREAS,SB 617,beginning with the general election on November 3,2020,requires extended,no excuse
absentee voting in person ("extended early voting") up to forty-five (45) days prior to any election; and
WHEREAS, SB 617, authorizes the establishment of voter satellite offices by governing bodies of counties
and cities for purposes of said extended early voting; and
WHEREAS, SB 617 further requires any voter satellite office to be accessible to qualified voters as required
by the provisions of the Virginians with Disabilities Act,the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped
Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act relating to public services; and
WHEREAS, SB 617 also requires the governing body of each county, city, and town to provide funds to
enable the general registrar to provide adequate facilities at each voter satellite office for the conduct of elections;
and
WHEREAS, SB 617 does not provide any funding for localities to implement the costly logistics of extended
early voting; no funds for additional voting equipment, staffing, or satellite facility purchase or rental; and
WHEREAS, the extended early voting authorized in SB 617 is an unfunded mandate on localities estimated
by General Registrars in Virginia to cost an annual minimum of$14 - 19 million dollars to implement; and
WHEREAS, the inclusion of$5 million dollars in the Governor's Annual Budget for extended early voting
is a start, it still far too little funding, shared by far too many localities, to offset this incredible financial burden
and unfunded mandate on Virginia localities in general, and the Pittsylvania County, Virginia (the "County") in
particular.
NOW, BE IT RESOLVED, as voting is the cornerstone of our great Nation's democratic system, that the
Board fully supports and encourages voter participation, be it traditional voting or extended early voting, by its
citizens in all elections; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, despite its full support for voting access by and for all eligible County
citizens, the Board does not support the unfunded mandate elements of extended early voting in SB 617;
THEREFORE, BE IT ADDITIONALLY RESOLVED, that the Board intends to comply with the bare
minimum legal requirements of extended early voting in SB 617; thereby, attempting to fiscally burden its tax
paying citizens the least amount possible; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Board instructs County Staff to forward a copy of this executed
Resolution to its local legislators and the local Electoral Board to demonstrate its grave displeasure with the
tremendous unfunded mandate elements of SB 617.
Given under my hand this 18`h day of February, 2020.
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�� „� Robert ("Bob") W. Warren, Chairman
�� 1' Pittsylvania Co it Board of Supervisors
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.57 -- id M. Sm e•rman, Clerk
_ _ Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors