Allows Online Absentee Ballots for Disabled Voters
Virginia · HB493 · Introduced Jan 12, 2026
Why it matters
Voters with visual impairments or print disabilities could vote absentee without help from another person. Ballots returned online would be treated the same as paper ballots.
What it does
- Requires the Department of Elections to make an accessible online ballot tool available to all localities
- Lets voters mark and return absentee ballots through the internet using screen reader technology
- Lets voters complete the required voter statement and proof of identity online
- Requires general registrars to offer the online tool to voters who request help voting absentee
Status
Latest action (2026-07-21): Continued from last session
About this bill
Would require the state to offer an online tool letting voters with visual or print disabilities mark and return absentee ballots electronically. Voters must still sign a statement under penalty of felony for false statements.
Absentee voting; ballots received, marked, and cast electronically through the Internet.
Perspectives
💬 The case for
Disability rights groups would likely say the tool gives blind voters the same privacy as other voters. Accessibility advocates may point out that it removes the need for someone else to mark the ballot.
💬 The case against
Election security groups would likely say online ballot return creates risks of hacking and fraud. They may also worry that secret ballots are harder to protect over the internet.
Sponsored by
Sponsor details for this state bill are at the source link.
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