The Virginia state Senate today passed a bipartisan bill that would let senior citizens vote absentee without an excuse. As the Washington Post puts it:
Long lines at the polls last Election Day helped convince some Republicans that seniors, who might have trouble standing for hours, should be allowed to vote absentee.
So far, Virginia has not done much to make its lines for voting shorter, but if Republicans in the House agree, maybe the older folks will at least get a break. Of the nine votes against relief for senior citizens, all were from Republicans. (If you’re looking for an update on that sneak gerrymandering bill, it looks like the House won’t take it up until Thursday. The Republican bill to change the rules for electing a president in Virginia — commonly known as rigging the election — moved forward today. Dave Weigel has a good read on this.)
(Image from November in McClean, Virginia, sent by Dave Fullerton, who wrote: “There were young people, people on crutches, old people, all of whom stood in line for almost 2 hours in the cold to vote!” How to send us stuff.)
