| Virginia Department of Elections | |
| Type: | State-level agency |
| Formed: | 2014 |
| Preceding1: | Virginia State Board of Elections |
| Jurisdiction: | Commonwealth of Virginia |
| Headquarters: | Richmond, Virginia |
| Employees: | 51-200 |
| Chief1 Name: | John O'Bannon |
| Chief1 Position: | Chairman of the Board |
| Chief2 Name: | Rosalyn R. Dance |
| Chief2 Position: | Vice-Chairman of the Board |
| Chief3 Name: | Georgia Alvis-Long |
| Chief3 Position: | Secretary of the Board |
| Chief4 Name: | Donald W. Merricks |
| Chief4 Position: | Board Member |
| Chief5 Name: | Matthew Weinstein |
| Chief5 Position: | Board Member |
| Chief6 Name: | Susan Beals |
| Chief6 Position: | Commissioner of the Board |
| Website: | https://www.elections.virginia.gov/ |
The Virginia Department of Elections (ELECT)is an agency that administers elections in Virginia. Its duties include maintaining a voter registration system, ensuring fair and secure elections, overseeing campaign finance disclosure, and certificating voter equipment in coordination with Virginia's 113 local election offices.[1] [2]
The predecessor to ELECT, the Virginia State Board of Elections (SBE), was founded in 1946 as a nonpolitical agency to ensure fairness and accuracy in the commonwealth's elections. The SBE promoted proper administration of election laws and voter registration.[3]
In 2014, this process was further expanded with the creation of ELECT. ELECT is responsible for the SBE's administrative and programmatic operations and discharges the board's duties consistent with delegated authority.
The department is led by a five-member body, the State Board of Elections. A commissioner is in charge of supervising the board. The Department's current commissioner is Susan Beals. ELECT is made up of three business units that work with a regulatory board.[4] [5]
State law provides that, "The State Board, through the Department of Elections, shall supervise and coordinate the work of the county and city electoral boards and of the registrars to obtain uniformity in their practices and proceedings and legality and purity in all elections."[6]