Victory in Virginia (VIDEO of Hearing)

Today, in a decision that was a victory for the citizens of Virginia, the State Board of Elections rejected demands from the Romney for President Campaign and decided to allow 16,000 voter registration applications generated by the Voter Participation Center (VPC) to be duly processed by election officials. The Board also rejected the campaign’s call to investigate the VPC, saying instead they agreed with the civic engagement group’s goal to register as many qualified citizens as possible.
“We applaud the fact that the Virginia Board of Elections has decided to reject all three of the Romney Campaign’s demands and reaffirmed its commitment to increasing the number of registered voters in Virginia — where two million people are unregistered. This is a win for the citizens of Virginia who want to participate in the democratic process and an affirmation that the VPC program is legal, helpful and essential.
Because we share the board’s desire to improve the accuracy of the lists we use, we have instituted improvements to our lists processes that will be in operation for our September mailing.
We were also pleased that the Board made a point of highlighting their confidence in the Commonwealth’s local election officials and their ability to scrutinize every application that comes in to ensure that only eligible individuals make it on the rolls.
We are proud of our record of success – we have helped 1.5 million Americans register over the last 8 years. In this cycle alone we have helped 420,000 qualified Americans. 16,000 of them have submitted registration applications here in Virginia.
At the Voter Participation Center, we believe our democracy is strongest when every American participates.”
Link to article Voter Participation Center
Video of hearing filmed by David Martin, Martin Images News
States - Virginia

If a woman in Virginia has a miscarriage without a doctor present, they must report it within 24 hours to the police or risk going to jail for a full year. At least, that’s what would have happened if a bill introduced by Virginia state Sen. Mark Obenshain (R) had become law. And yet, the Virginia Republican Party wants to make Obenshain into the state’s top prosecutor. This weekend, Virginia Republicans selected Obenshain as their nominee to replace tea party stalwart Ken Cuccinelli (R) as the state’s attorney general. Obenshain’s bill, which was introduced...
Ian Millhiser | ThinkProgress 20 May 2013 Hits:183 Virginia
Read more
Last week, Virginia’s Board of Health voted to finalize unnecessary regulations that will force many of the state’s abortion clinics to shut down. Those new restrictions — which are known as the Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers, or TRAP laws — are already having their intended effect. Hillcrest Clinic, which opened to the public just nine months after the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion services, will be closing its doors this weekend. The state officials pushing for the new abortion regulations claim they will help ensure women’s safety. But...
Tara Culp-Ressler | ThinkProgress 22 Apr 2013 Hits:1852 Virginia
Read more
The vice chairwoman of the State Board of Elections says she has “some glaring issues” with the practicality and cost of Virginia’s new photo ID legislation for voting that Gov. Bob McDonnell signed into law last month. Kimberly T. Bowers, a Democrat, was appointed to a four-year term as one of the state’s leading elections officials in 2011 by Gov. Bob McDonnell. She said in an interview that the process for obtaining a free government-issued photo ID “leaves a lot to be desired” and that the decision to implement a new...
Markus Schmidt | Richmond Times Dispatch 14 Apr 2013 Hits:1254 Virginia
Read more
Today, the Virginia Board of Health will take a final vote on regulations that would restrict women's access to reproductive health care by imposing standards that would force women's health centers in Virginia to undertake massive renovations or close altogether. The proposed regulations are the result of legislation passed by the General Assembly-with the overwhelming support of the House Republicans-and revised by Ken Cuccinelli, who strong armed the Board to vote on his version of the amendments. "This is yet another instance of Ken Cuccinelli and his Republican allies in the...
DPVA 12 Apr 2013 Hits:579 Virginia
Read more
Backers of Virginia’s candidates for governor exchanged hard-edged humor Monday, issuing false April Fools' Day statements at their rival’s expense. Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccineli’s campaign struck first, issuing a release under the headline: “McAuliffe To Open Job-Rich Plant in Virginia.” The Republican spoof claimed that Terry McAuliffe had announced “a major commitment to bringing manufacturing jobs to Virginia” and that GreenTech, his electric car company, would soon open a factory outside Fredericksburg. Then, under a headline of APRIL FOOL’S! the statement noted that McAuliffe “chose to base his electric car company in...
Andrew Cain | Richmond Times Dispatch 01 Apr 2013 Hits:324 Virginia
Read more
A political action committee spearheaded by former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean will spend $750,000 to target five Republican-held districts in the Virginia House of Delegates for takeover by Democrats in the 2013 elections. Dubbing their effort the “Purple to Blue Project,” the group, Democracy for America, said it is embarking on a multi-year effort to reverse the trend of GOP-controlled legislatures in swing states like Virginia. The group plans to deploy data-driven, micro-targeting, mail and media strategies similar to those that helped President Barack Obama win Virginia and other in the 2012...
Jim Nolan | Richmond Times Dispatch 29 Mar 2013 Hits:336 Virginia
Read more
Governor Bob McDonnell last night proposed limited amendments to legislation that called for a two-year moratorium on the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, by law enforcement and regulatory agencies in the Commonwealth thereby assuring that Virginia will become the first state in the nation to enact a statewide restriction on the use of drones. “This is an important first step in assuring all Virginians that we have reasonable rules in place that will govern the deployment of drones over the Commonwealth,” said Delegate Ben Cline, author of the...
ACLU Virginia 28 Mar 2013 Hits:328 Virginia
Read more
Virginia workers like Anthony Van Buren will now have state investigators to take up their wage theft claims. (Photo by Raul Coto-Batres) After a months-long lobbying effort by labor advocates, Virginia’s General Assembly voted on Saturday to restore funding to the state's investigative division responsible for enforcing wage law. One year ago, the assembly cut its funding and reassigned the six investigators tasked with assisting Virginians whose wages are illegally withheld by their employers. Barring an unlikely veto by Republican Governor Bob McDonnell, the budget...
Spencer Woodman | In These Times 08 Mar 2013 Hits:341 Virginia
Read more
ARLINGTON, Va. — To listen to the human side of sequestration, wait in line here for the 595 bus to Reston, Va., a journey across a suburbia grown fat and happy on a federal spending boom in the past decade, primarily military. While the rest of the country experienced a corrosive recession, unemployment in Arlington County, home of the Pentagon, never rose above 5 percent. Nearby Fairfax County, with a cyberintelligence industry that took off after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, gorged on government contracts to private companies. “It was easy, and...
TRIP GABRIEL | The New York Times 07 Mar 2013 Hits:677 Virginia
Read more
By a 65-34 vote, the Virginia House of Delegates on Wednesday passed a measure that would mandate voters show photo ID at the polls. Senate Bill 1256, sponsored by Sen. Mark D. Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, would also require the state to provide free photo ID to voters who do not have such identification. The bill now moves to the desk of Gov. Bob McDonnell, who has not commented on the legislation during the session. If McDonnell signs it, the U.S. Department of Justice would also have to...
Markus Schmidt | Richmond Times Dispatch 24 Feb 2013 Hits:512 Virginia
Read more
Virginia will embark on a series of major reforms to its Medicaid program as a required prelude to extending coverage to as many as 400,000 uninsured Virginians by the middle of next year. The House of Delegates and Senate voted overwhelmingly on Saturday to adopt amendments to the state budget that include the ability to reform and expand the joint federal-state health care program for the poor, subject to certification by a special legislative committee that benchmarks for reforms have been met. “It’s pretty clear...
Michael Martz | Richmond Times Dispatch 24 Feb 2013 Hits:402 Virginia
Read more
Virginia Senate and House negotiators agreed on a deal today to resolve their differences over transportation funding. When fully phased in, the agreement in its current form would raise roughly $880 million by doing the following: -- Replace the current 17.5 cents per gallon tax on gasoline with a 3.5 percent wholesale tax paid by distributors and a 6 percent wholesale tax on diesel fuel; -- Increase the 5 percent retail sales and use tax paid on most purchases to 5.3 percent; -- Apply a $100 annual fee on alternative fuel...
Jim Nolan | Richmond Times Dispatch 21 Feb 2013 Hits:343 Virginia
Read more
Speaker of the House William J. Howell, R-Stafford, has ruled that the surprise Senate amendments to redistricting changes are not germane, throwing the future of the proposed Senate boundary moves in doubt. Senate Republicans pushed through the amendments on a 20-19 party-line vote on a day when Democrats were down one member because Sen. Henry L. Marsh III, D-Richmond, attended inauguration ceremonies for President Barack Obama in Washington on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Because the Senate made changes to a House measure, it had...
Olympia Meola | Richmond Times Dispatch 06 Feb 2013 Hits:412 Virginia
Read more
RICHMOND — House Speaker William J. Howell effectively killed the GOP’s surprise Senate redistricting plan Wednesday, taking one of the most contentious issues off the table in this year’s General Assembly session Howell (R-Stafford) used a procedural move to scrap the proposed map, which Republicans muscled through the evenly divided Senate when a Democrat who is considered a civil rights icon was away in Washington to attend President Obama’s inauguration. Calling it a “vast rewrite of Senate districts,” Howell ruled that the map was not germane...
Laura Vozzella | Washington Post 06 Feb 2013 Hits:443 Virginia
Read more
On Tuesday afternoon, the Virginia House and Senate passed two bills to make the state’s voter ID law even stricter. The measures, sponsored by Sen. Dick Black (R-VA) and Rep. Mark Cole (R-VA), would ban voters from presenting a utility bill, pay stub, government or Social Security card as proof of identity — all forms of ID allowed under the current law. They could still use a voter ID card, concealed handgun permit, drivers license, or student ID. But the Senate is also considering a bill that would even further restrict acceptable...
Aviva Shen | Think Progress Justice 05 Feb 2013 Hits:1153 Virginia
Read more
Richmond, VA – The ACLU of Virginia applauded Virginia legislators as the House of Delegates and Senate today approved by overwhelming bi-partisan votes in both houses legislation that calls for a two year moratorium on the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, by law enforcement and regulatory agencies in the Commonwealth. “We are very pleased that Virginia is the first state in which both chambers of its legislature have approved measures that limit the use of drones,” said Claire Guthrie Gastañaga, Executive Director of the ACLU of Virginia. “We are...
ACLU VA 05 Feb 2013 Hits:608 Virginia
Read more
At least two black House Democrats say they might vote for the GOP’s surprise Virginia Senate redistricting plan, a move that could make it easier for Republican Gov. Robert F. McDonnell and House Speaker William J. Howell to find their way out of a sticky political quandary. Dels. Onzlee Ware (Roanoke) and Rosalyn R. Dance (Petersburg) told The Washington Post on Wednesday that they are considering the plan, which would create a new majority-black district in Southside but also disperse black voting power in at least...
Laura Vozzella | The Washington Post 31 Jan 2013 Hits:694 Virginia
Read more
ProgressVA reports that the Virginia State Senate has killed the Electoral College-skewing Carrico bill. It was the Privileges and Elections committee, not the full Senate, that did the deed. Republicans run the committee, with eight out of 15 members. And the bill only got four "ayes." That leaves Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania as the next-most-likely places for a splitter bill. Hang on. No, it doesn't. The state House may be considering a new and controversial plan on how Michigan's Electoral College votes are distributed, but the state Senate isn't interested, said Senate...
David Weigel | Salon.com 31 Jan 2013 Hits:543 Virginia
Read more
A coalition of progressive groups spearheaded by Virginia New Majority delivered more than 18,000 petitions to Gov. Bob McDonnell today, asking him to veto a surprise redistricting change if it reaches his desk. Noah Feldman of Virginia New Majority called the change engineered by Senate Republicans “a massive power grab by the conservative state legislature that is going to attempt to steal the integrity of the people’s vote here in the commonwealth.” A majority of Virginians re-elected President Barack Obama last year and even...
Markus Schmidt | Richmond Times Dispatch 30 Jan 2013 Hits:417 Virginia
Read more
Each day women across this country continue to battle issues of inequality. The sad fact is that women still make seventy-four cents on the dollar in comparison to us men. By remaining stagnant on this issue, by simply brushing it aside, keeping it in the back of our minds, we remain committed to an all too familiar phrase, “separate, but equal.” The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), passed by Congress in 1972, would have become the 27th Amendment to the Constitution if three-fourths of the states had ratified it by June 30,...
Shaun Broy 30 Jan 2013 Hits:515 Virginia
Read more
Leaders of Virginia's Legislative Black Caucus rallied against a surprise redistricting change approved by Senate Republicans, accusing the GOP today of "plantation politics." “These are trying times in Virginia. Last year, we were known as the epicenter for the war on women, now we are the epicenter for the war on Virginia voters,” Sen. A. Donald McEachin, D-Henrico, said before a crowd of more than 150 at the annual rally hosted by the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus at the Bell Tower on Capitol Square...
Markus Schmidt | Richmond Times Dispatch 29 Jan 2013 Hits:540 Virginia
Read more
The secret plan began unfolding about two weeks ago. Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr. went to Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling with a way to redraw Senate districts and make them more favorable to Republicans. But Bolling rejected the idea, fearing that it would set a bad precedent, according to two people familiar with the meeting but not authorized to discuss it publicly. Bolling, who would be needed to break a tie vote in the evenly divided Senate, also thought the move would so inflame...
By Laura Vozzella and Errin Haines | Washington Post 25 Jan 2013 Hits:452 Virginia
Read more
Senate Republicans on Monday pushed through a surprise rewrite of the 2011 redistricting plan that erases a Democratic seat in western Virginia and creates a sixth majority black district that would be located between Petersburg and Danville. Democrats were shocked by the move, vowing to oppose the new plan in court as an unconstitutional redo of Senate district boundaries. Republicans passed the new map without support of the governor or the lieutenant governor. The maneuver immediately poisoned the atmosphere at the 2013 General Assembly and threatened to...
Andrew Cain | Richmond Times Dispatch 22 Jan 2013 Hits:481 Virginia
Read more
The Virginia House of Delegates usually meets at noon, but Del. Joseph D. Morrissey, D-Henrico, turned it into High Noon today when he pulled out an AK-47 on the House floor to make a point for his gun control bill. “What you are looking at is a 30-round magazine. Right now, you’re allowed to have 50, 75 or 100-round magazines. We hear a lot of people talk about assault rifles, but it’s very different when you see one,” Morrissey said, waving the gun. “At many locations...
Markus S. Schmidt | Richmond Times Dispatch 17 Jan 2013 Hits:497 Virginia
Read more
Legislation backed by Gov. Bob McDonnell to automatically restore nonviolent felons' voting rights emerged from a Senate subcommittee without a recommendation today. A motion to recommend the bill failed on a 3-3 vote, with all of the votes against the measure coming from McDonnell's fellow Republicans. The tie vote was enough to keep the measure alive for the full Privileges and Elections Committee. The Senate action came a day after a GOP-dominated House of Delegates subcommittee killed that chamber's version of the legislation and less...
Associated Press | Richmond Times Dispatch 15 Jan 2013 Hits:426 Virginia
Read more
A House of Delegates subcommittee this morning effectively killed proposals to automatically restore the rights of nonviolent felons, something Gov. Bob McDonnell called for in his State of the Commonwealth address. Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and Secretary of the Commonwealth Janet Kelly testified in favor of the constitutional amendment, though Cuccinelli made clear his support for restoring voting and other rights was specific to nonviolent felons. 'The governor and the secretary have done spectacular work in bringing standardization and a methodical and reliable approach...
Markus Schmidt & Olympia Meola | Richmond Times-Dispatch 15 Jan 2013 Hits:456 Virginia
Read more
In the heart of Richmond’s Southside, you’ll find a community saturated with Latino businesses. It bustles with community businesses that fulfill the needs of a growing population. “We are Dominican. We know how to work the hair. We know how to treat the people,” said Jose Almonte, co-owner of J&J beauty salon. Some of the residents like, Jose Almonte, are living the American dream. Almonte is Dominican and the co-owner of J&J beauty salon. Jose came to the U.S. in 1997. He and his wife, Judy, moved from the Bronx, New...
Sandra Jones | WTVR.com 11 Jan 2013 Hits:1052 Virginia
Read more
The Virginia State Board of Elections received dozens of complaints from voters across the Commonwealth about the November elections, suggesting widespread issues beyond just the long lines emblematic of 2012 swing states. Correspondence obtained by ThinkProgress under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act shows voter complaints alleged significant problems including understaffed polls and errors made by poll workers. The dozens of complaints submitted mostly fell into a few areas:
Josh Israel | Think Progress - Justice 10 Jan 2013 Hits:1766 Virginia
Read moreHaving restored the civil rights of more felons than any of his predecessors, Gov. Bob McDonnell on Wednesday called for automatic restoration of civil rights for nonviolent felons, committing his prestige to a proposal that his own party has resisted for years. “As a nation that believes in redemption and second chances, we must provide a clear path for willing individuals to be productive members of society once they have served their sentences and paid their fines and restitution,” the Republican said during his...
Olympia Meola | Richmond Times Dispatch 10 Jan 2013 Hits:411 Virginia
Read more
There are many words that could be used to describe many modern day conservatives of the Republican breed and, in rarer cases, the Democrat breed. Dishonest and greedy are a couple that come to mind. Such was the case in Virginia, where they are debating whether or not to lift a ban on uranium mining, a ban which goes back 30 years.
Jeremy Ryan | Addicting Info 10 Jan 2013 Hits:443 Virginia
Read morePor Milagros Meléndez-Vela, En noviembre, los residentes de Virginia elegirán a su nuevo gobernador para reemplazar al saliente Bob McDonnell, que culmina su mandato. Y los candidatos ya están definidos: el republicano Ken Cuccinelli, actual...
By Gregg MacDonald, About 150 people marched on Rep. Frank Wolf’s (R-Dist. 10) office in Herndon Wednesday, blaring cadences from bullhorns, waving signs, and demanding that he take a standpreferably in their favoron immigration reform....
Por Giomar Silva, El 1 de mayo se realizaron marchas por la reforma migratoria en todo el país. La elección de esta fecha no fue casual: en muchas partes del mundo -80 países- se celebra el Día Internacional del Trabajo, en memoria de los...
RICHMOND, Va. The first bill aimed at reforming immigration in a long time was introduced in mid-April by a bipartisan group of senators. So far, it has received mixed reactions, including from immigrants rights groups in Virginia. Today,...
By Rachel Hatzipanagos, Two hundred are expected to attend a rally with the goal being to influence Congressman Frank Wolf (R-10) to support immigration reform, organizers said. Read more here.
By, Silvana Quiroz, Residentes de Herndon Virginia celebraron hoy el día del trabajador con una marcha que termino en la oficina de su congresista. Read more here.
By Randy Serrano, Con cantos de si se puede, carteles y una esperanza vibrante por una reforma migratoria, decenas de Virginianos marcharon hoy en Herndon, dando a conocer un anhelo por la legalización que aún no mengua. Read more here.
| Tue May 21, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM Healthcare for All Issue Team Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 733525# |
| Wed May 22, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM End Corporate Rule IOT Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 754227# |
| Mon May 27, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM PDA ERA 3 State Strategy Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 787085# |
| Tue May 28, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM Clean, Fair, Transparent Elections IOT Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 314363# |
| Wed Jun 05, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM Economic and Social Justice Issue Team Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 781761# |
| Mon Jun 10, 2013 @ 8:30PM - 09:30PM End Mass Criminalizations IOT Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 331473# |
| Tue Jun 11, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM End Wars and Occupations Issue Team Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 952870# |
| Tue Jun 18, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM Healthcare for All Issue Team Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 733525# |
| Wed Jun 19, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM Stop Global Warming Issue Team Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 661274# |
| Mon Jun 24, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM PDA ERA 3 State Strategy Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 787085# |
PDA is organized around several core issues. These issues include:
Each team hosts a monthly conference call. Calls feature legislators, staffers and other policy experts. On these calls we determine PDA legislation to support as well as actions and future events.
| Sat May 04, 2013 @10:00AM - 02:30PM Maryland NOW Annual Conference |
| Thu May 09, 2013 @ 7:00PM - 08:00PM PDAVA10 - The Progressive 10th Weekly Conference Call |
| Thu May 16, 2013 @ 7:00PM - 08:00PM PDAVA10 - The Progressive 10th Weekly Conference Call |
| Thu May 23, 2013 @ 7:00PM - 08:00PM PDAVA10 - The Progressive 10th Weekly Conference Call |
| Wed May 29, 2013 @ 6:00PM - 08:00PM Glimpse of the Prison Industrial Complex from the Inside |
| Thu May 30, 2013 @ 7:00PM - 08:00PM PDAVA10 - The Progressive 10th Weekly Conference Call |
| Wed Jun 05, 2013 @ 6:00PM - 08:00PM The Human Costs of The Prison Industrial Complex |
| Thu Jun 06, 2013 @ 7:00PM - 08:00PM PDAVA10 - The Progressive 10th Weekly Conference Call |
| Thu Jun 13, 2013 @ 7:00PM - 08:00PM PDAVA10 - The Progressive 10th Weekly Conference Call |
| Thu Jun 20, 2013 @ 7:00PM - 08:00PM PDAVA10 - The Progressive 10th Weekly Conference Call |
![]() |
![]() |
|
| Andrea Miller |
Stephen Spitz |
Email us at: virginia@pdamerica.org
Chapters
Central Virginia (CD-03 and CD-04)
Progressive 10th
PDA CD-07
PDA SW Virginia (CD06 and 09)
PDA Virginia Beach/Hampton Roads
Roanoke/Southwest Virginia
VA Peninsula Progressive CD-01
Want to bring progressive change to Virginia? Start a PDA chapter; send us an email and we'll get you started.
Senators
Jim Webb (D)
Mark Warner (D)
Congressional Districts
CD-01 Rob Wittman (R)
CD-02 Scott Ridgell (R)
CD-03 Bobby Scott (D)
CD-04 Randy Forbes (R)
CD-05 Robert Hurtt (R)
CD-06 Bob Goodlatte (R)
CD-07 Eric Cantor (R)
CD-08 Jim Moran (D)
CD-09 Morgan Griffith (R)
CD-10 Frank Wolf (R)
Governor Bob McDonnell (Virginia)[10]