Before proceeding to ascertain the vote, the officers of election shall determine whether no more than two representatives of each political party having candidates in the election and one representative of each independent candidate or primary candidate request to be present while the absentee ballots are cast, votes are counted, and returns are completed.
Each representative shall be a qualified voter of any jurisdiction in the Commonwealth and shall present to the officers of election a written statement certifying that he is an authorized representative, signed by his party chairman for the jurisdiction in which the election is held, the independent candidate, or the candidate in a primary, as appropriate. If the party chairman for the jurisdiction in which the election is held is unavailable to sign such a written designation, such a designation may be made by the state or district chairman of the political party. However, no written designation made by a state or district chairman shall take precedence over a written designation made by the party chairman for the jurisdiction in which the election is held. Such representatives shall be entitled to be present while the votes are counted and shall remain until the returns are completed.
In case such representatives, or any of them, do not request to be present, the officers shall notify the bystanders, if any, and select one or more to be present with any available representatives of the parties or candidates so that there are as many as four bystanders and representatives present.
The representatives and bystanders lawfully present shall have an unobstructed view of the officers of election and their actions while the absentee ballots are cast, votes are counted, and returns are completed. The representatives and bystanders lawfully present are prohibited from interfering with the officers of election in any way.
Code 1950, §§ 24-260, 24-261; 1970, c. 462, § 24.1-137; 1974, c. 428; 1993, c. 641; 2006, c. 177; 2010, c. 448; 2015, c. 133.
Structure Code of Virginia
§ 24.2-601. Town election process
§ 24.2-603. Hours polls to be open; closing the polls
§ 24.2-603.1. Postponement of certain elections; state of emergency
§ 24.2-604. Polling places; prohibited activities; prohibited area; penalties
§ 24.2-604.1. Signs for special entrances to polling places
§ 24.2-604.2. Polling places; prohibited area; emergency situations
§ 24.2-604.3. Election day page program; high school students
§ 24.2-604.5. Polling places; presence of additional persons authorized
§ 24.2-604.6. Polling places; simulated election activities
§ 24.2-605. Loudspeakers prohibited at polls; penalty
§ 24.2-606. Preservation of order at elections
§ 24.2-608. Officers to decide order of voting
§ 24.2-610. Materials at polling places
§ 24.2-611. Form and signing of pollbooks; records of persons voting; electronic pollbooks
§ 24.2-612.1. Ballots; death, withdrawal, or disqualification of candidates
§ 24.2-612.2. Notice of withdrawal of candidates
§ 24.2-614. Preparation and form of presidential election ballots
§ 24.2-615. Separate questions for proposed constitutional amendments, etc.; uniform ballots
§ 24.2-616. Duties of printer; statement; penalty
§ 24.2-620. Dividing ballots into packages for each precinct; delivery of absentee ballots
§ 24.2-621. Delivery of packages to officers; opening packages
§ 24.2-622. Unofficial sample ballots
§ 24.2-623. Ballot containers to be supplied by governing bodies; construction and custody
§ 24.2-624. Opening and closing ballot containers; opening polls
§ 24.2-625. Application of Title 24.2 and general law
§ 24.2-625.1. Voting equipment security
§ 24.2-625.2. Wireless communications at polling places
§ 24.2-626. Governing bodies shall acquire electronic voting systems
§ 24.2-626.1. Acquisition and use of accessible voting devices
§ 24.2-627. Electronic voting systems; number required
§ 24.2-629. State Board approval process of electronic voting systems
§ 24.2-630. Experimental use of approved systems
§ 24.2-631. Experimental use of voting systems and ballots prior to approval of the system
§ 24.2-632. Voting equipment custodians
§ 24.2-633. Notice of final testing of voting system; sealing equipment
§ 24.2-634. Locking and securing after preparation
§ 24.2-635. Demonstration of equipment
§ 24.2-636. Instruction as to use of equipment
§ 24.2-637. Furniture and equipment to be at polling places
§ 24.2-639. Duties of officers of election
§ 24.2-642. Inoperative equipment
§ 24.2-643. Qualified voter permitted to vote; procedures at polling place; voter identification
§ 24.2-644. Voting by paper ballot; voting for presidential electors; write-in votes
§ 24.2-645. Defaced printed ballots
§ 24.2-646.1. Permitted use of paper ballots
§ 24.2-647. Voting systems; demonstration on election day
§ 24.2-648. Write-in votes on voting equipment
§ 24.2-649. Assistance for certain voters inside the polling place; penalties
§ 24.2-649.1. Assistance for certain voters outside of the polling place
§ 24.2-650. Officers to sign only official papers, etc.
§ 24.2-651. Voter who is challenged; how challenge tried
§ 24.2-651.1. Voter who is shown as having already voted; provisional ballots
§ 24.2-652. Voter whose name erroneously omitted from pollbook; provisional ballots
§ 24.2-653. Provisional voting; procedures in polling place
§ 24.2-653.01. Provisional ballots; electoral boards to make determination as to validity
§ 24.2-653.1. Voters who did not receive absentee ballots; provisional ballots
§ 24.2-653.3. Voters assigned to split precinct; provisional ballots
§ 24.2-655. Representatives of political parties and candidates to be present on request
§ 24.2-657. Determination of vote on voting systems
§ 24.2-658. Machines with printed return sheets; disposition of sheets
§ 24.2-661. Detection and setting aside of double ballots
§ 24.2-662. Procedure when paper ballots exceed names on pollbooks
§ 24.2-664. Reduction in number of ballots
§ 24.2-665. How paper ballots counted
§ 24.2-666. Procedures to account for paper ballots
§ 24.2-667. Completion of statement of results
§ 24.2-667.1. Reporting of results; absentee votes
§ 24.2-669. Clerk to keep ballots; inspection; destruction
§ 24.2-670. Clerk to send for books and ballots if not delivered by officers
§ 24.2-671. Electoral board to meet and ascertain results; conclusiveness of results
§ 24.2-671.2. Risk-limiting audits
§ 24.2-672. Electoral board to correct irregularities in returns of officers of election
§ 24.2-673. Candidates having highest number of votes to receive certificate of election
§ 24.2-673.1. (Expires July 1, 2031) Ranked choice voting
§ 24.2-674. Determination by lot in case of tie
§ 24.2-675. Abstracts of votes to be made by secretary and forwarded to State Board and to clerks
§ 24.2-676. Secretary to make out and deliver certificate of election
§ 24.2-677. State Board to open and record returns; application of Freedom of Information Act
§ 24.2-678. Law-enforcement officer to be sent for abstracts not forwarded
§ 24.2-679. State Board to meet and make statement as to number of votes
§ 24.2-680. Certificates of election
§ 24.2-681. How special elections superintended and determined
§ 24.2-682. Times for special elections
§ 24.2-683. Writ for special election to fill a vacancy
§ 24.2-684. How referendum elections called and held, and the results ascertained and certified
§ 24.2-684.1. Requirements for voter petitions to call for referendum elections
§ 24.2-685. Special elections; request for abolition of constitutional offices
§ 24.2-687. Authorization for distribution of information on referendum elections