# Virginia HB963: Constitutional amendment; qualifications of voters, right to vote, persons not entitled to vote.

Virginia HB963, Constitutional amendment; qualifications of voters, right to vote, persons not entitled to vote., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Marcia S. "Cia" Price (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-02-06 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0004)) (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB963-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB963
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Constitutional amendment; qualifications of voters, right to vote, persons not entitled to vote.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-13
- Last action: 2026-02-06, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0004)
- Sponsor: Marcia S. "Cia" Price (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 4 (108 yes, 66 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 3

## Summary

Constitutional amendment (voter referendum); qualifications of voters; right to vote; persons not entitled to vote. Provides for a referendum at the November 3, 2026, general election to approve or reject an amendment that would provide for the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth, revise the qualifications of voters so that a person convicted of a felony is not entitled to vote during his period of incarceration but is automatically invested with the right to vote upon release from incarceration, and update the existing prohibition on voting by persons found to be mentally incompetent to instead apply to persons who have been found to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting. This bill is identical to SB 6.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Fundamental voting right for eligible Virginians: benefit, high. The law places a constitutional amendment on Virginia’s November 2026 ballot. It covers a fundamental voting right, voting after felony incarceration, and limits based on understanding voting. The amendment takes effect January 1, 2027, only with approval from a majority voting on the question. It…
- Voting limits tied to understanding voting: mixed, high. The law submits this change to voters in November 2026. With majority approval, it takes effect January 1, 2027. The amendment replaces the broad mental-incompetence standard with a test focused on understanding the act of voting. A person cannot vote while a court with legal authority finds they l…
- Voting rights return after felony incarceration: mixed, high. The law submits this change to voters in November 2026. With majority approval, it takes effect January 1, 2027. A person cannot vote while incarcerated for a felony conviction. Upon release from that incarceration, all political rights, including voting, return automatically without further action.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Marcia S. "Cia" Price (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-02-02 | Senate | Passed Senate | pass | 21 | 19 |   |
| 2026-01-30 | Senate | Reported from Privileges and Elections | pass | 7 | 6 |   |
| 2026-01-29 | House | Read third time and passed House | pass | 65 | 34 |   |
| 2026-01-23 | House | Reported from Privileges and Elections | pass | 15 | 7 |   |

## Actions (22)

- 2026-02-06: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0004) (Governor)
- 2026-02-06: Approved by Governor-Chapter 4 (effective July 1, 2026) (Governor)
- 2026-02-04: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB963) (House)
- 2026-02-04: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB963ER) (House)
- 2026-02-04: Enrolled (House)
- 2026-02-04: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., February 11, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-02-04: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on February 04, 2026 (House)
- 2026-02-04: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-02-04: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-02-02: Passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-02: Read third time (Senate)
- 2026-01-30: Reported from Privileges and Elections (7-Y 6-N) (Senate)
- 2026-01-30: Read second time (Senate)
- 2026-01-29: Read third time and passed House (65-Y 34-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-01-29: Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections (Senate)
- 2026-01-29: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate)
- 2026-01-28: Read second time and engrossed (House)
- 2026-01-27: Read first time (House)
- 2026-01-27: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB963) (House)
- 2026-01-23: Reported from Privileges and Elections (15-Y 7-N) (House)
- 2026-01-13: Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections (House)
- 2026-01-13: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100137D (House)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-02-06: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1169222.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1169221.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-02-04: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1108650.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1108649.PDF)
- Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086699.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086698.PDF)

## Related bills

- HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with rental agreement. (signed)
- HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. (signed)
- HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, termination by landlord. (signed)
- HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil penalty. (signed)

## Sources
- [Chaptered (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1169222.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1169221.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1108650.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1108649.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086699.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086698.PDF)

## Related
- [HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB5-2026)
- [SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB199-2026)
- [HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB95-2026)
- [HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1393-2026)
- [HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, terminat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB834-2026)
- [HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB675-2026)
- [Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia/bills)
- [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB963-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).