Summer Greetings!

Even though it’s the height of summer, I have been as busy as ever with events, meetings in Richmond and I managed to work in some fun with two parades on the 4th of July.

As many of my constituents know, one piece of legislation that I am still aggressively pursuing is SB 830 – my bill to allow secure electronic return of ballots by overseas, active-duty military personnel. I have been down to Richmond several times this spring and summer working with the Joint Commission on Technology & Science (JCOTS) an the State Board of Elections (SBE) to improve this bill and get the science, technology and policy correct. We owe it to all Virginians serving overseas to ensure their ballots are cast and counted. The JCOTS Cybersecurity Subcommittee met on Monday, July 15th and voted unanimously to recommend an amended version of SB 830 to the full JCOTS committee. This group of IT professionals, including computer scientists at UVA, William & Mary and VCU agreed that for this small percentage of the population, a solution can be found and should be pursued to ensure those men and women who put their lives on the line for us have the ability to cast their votes.

I was proud to be in Richmond on July 10th as the State Board of Elections, in partnership with the Heroes Vote Initiative, kicked off the Boots and Ballots program at the Virginia State Capitol.  Election officials, members of the military and the General Assembly gathered to present new options for military and overseas voter registration and absentee ballot preparedness. Eric Eversole, founder of the Military Voter Protection Project said, “Virginia is a clear leader in the fight to promote and protect military voting rights.”

The SBE will be rolling out their new online voter registration website shortly, allowing everyone – military and civilians -- to register or update information online. This will be in conjunction with the Department of Motor Vehicles database to ensure voter identification. It’s an exciting step forward, empowering voters around the Commonwealth. For more information on how to register to vote, visit: http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/BecomeARegisteredVoter.html

Finally, for those of us who live and work on or near Route 1, we know how urgent the need is for one or multiple solutions to the traffic congestion. Many state, local and federal groups are coming together to find a solution. A consulting company has been hired and they are setting up meetings with all stakeholders – including members of the communities along Route 1. Previous studies have all been re-examined and analyzed. Committees have been formed. I have been asked to be on the Executive Steering Committee and we had our first meeting on June 11th. I am hopeful that real progress will be made. With local, citizen input we will be able to move forward with solutions. Those citizens interested in being part of the citizen involvement meeting in September should email Route1AA@aecom.com, or visit the website http://route1multimodalaa.com/?page_id=93 to share your ideas and learn more about the project.

As always, I am honored to serve the 36th district and look forward to assisting my constituents in any way I am able.