Write to Virginia Legislators Supporting Constitutional Amendments
Reproductive Freedom, Voting Rights Restoration, Same Sex Marriage
Write to Virginia Legislators Supporting Constitutional Amendments
You can write in support of one or all of the Constitutional Amendments up for consideration this session. In Virginia, an amendment has to be passed by the legislature 2 times* before it can be placed on the ballot. This year is year #1 for each of these 3 amendments.
In you live in Virginia, you can get the names and mailing addresses for your state delegate and senator here. When your legislators appear, click "more info" for their mailing address. If you live outside of the state, write to some or all of them at their capital office: Delegates and Senators.
Watch a video from the Friday Power Lunch about these 3 amendments.
HJ1 - Fundamental Right to Reproductive Freedom. Provides that every individual has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom and that the right to make and effectuate one's own decisions about all matters related to one's pregnancy cannot be denied, burdened, or otherwise infringed upon by the Commonwealth, unless justified by a compelling state interest and achieved by the least restrictive means.
HJ2 - Qualifications of Voters; Right to Vote; Persons Not Entitled To Vote. Provides that every person who meets the qualifications of voters set forth in the Constitution of Virginia shall have the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth and that such right shall not be abridged by law, except for persons who have been convicted of a felony and persons who have been adjudicated to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting.
HJ9 - Marriage Between Two Individuals; Repeal of Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition; Affirmative Right to Marry. Repeals the constitutional provision defining marriage as only a union between one man and one woman as well as the related provisions that are no longer valid as a result of the United States Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015).
In Virginia, a proposed constitutional amendment must be approved by the General Assembly in two successive sessions, with an election occurring between them, before it can be placed on the ballot for voter approval. This process involves the following steps:
First Approval: The proposed amendment is introduced in either the Senate or the House of Delegates. It must receive a majority vote in both houses.
Intervening Election: After the first approval, an election for the House of Delegates must take place before the amendment can proceed.
Second Approval: In the legislative session following the election, the amendment must again receive a majority vote in both the Senate and the House of Delegates.
Voter Referendum: Once the amendment has passed both houses in two successive sessions, it is placed on the ballot for a statewide referendum. The amendment becomes part of the Virginia Constitution if it is approved by a majority of voters.