Chap. 351.—A JOINT RESOLUTION proposing amendments to sections 18,
: 20, 21, and 173 of the Constitution of Virginia, so as to extend the rights
of suffrage to women. [S

Signed March 19, 1920.

Resolved, by the senate, the house of delegates concurring (a
majority of the members elected to each house agreeing), That the
following amendments to sections eighteen, twenty, twenty-one and
one hundred and seventy-three of the Constitution of Virginia, be,
and the same are hereby, proposed and referred to the general assem-
bly to be chosen at the next general election of members of the house
of delegates for its concurrence, in conformity with the provisions of
section one hundred and ninety-six of the said Constitution, namely :

Strike out from the Constitution of Virginia section eighteen,
which is in the following words:

Sec. 18. Every male citizen of the United States, twenty-one
years of age, who has been a resident of the State two years, of the
county, city, or town one year, and of the precinct in which he offers
to vote, thirty days, next preceding the election in which he offers te
vote, has been registered, and has paid his State poll taxes, as herein-
after required, shall be entitled to vote for members of the general
assembly and all officers elective by the people; but removal from one
precinct to another, in the same county, city, or town, shall not deprive
any person of the right to vote in the precinct from which he has
moved, until the expiration of thirty days after such removal.

And insert in lieu thereof the following:

Sec. 18. Every citizen of the United States, male or female,
twenty-one years of age, who has been a resident of the State two
years, of the county, city, or town one year, and of the precinct in
which he or she offers to vote, thirty days, next preceding the election
in which he or she offers to vote, has been registered, and has paid
his or her State poll taxes, as hereinafter required, shall be entitled to
vote for members of the general assembly and all officers elective by
the people; but removal from one precinct to another, in the same
county, city or town shall not deprive any person of his or her nght
to vote in the precinct from which he or she has moved, until the
expiration of thirty days after such removal.

Strike out from the Constitution of Virginia section twenty, which
is in the following words:

Sec. 20. After the first day of January, nineteen hundred and
four, every male citizen of the United States, having the qualifications
of age and residence required in section eighteen, shall be entitled to
register, provided :

First. That he has personally paid to the proper officer all
State poll taxes assessed or assessable against him, under this or the
former Constitution, for the three years next preceding that in which
he offers to register; or, if he come of age at such time that no poll
tax shall have been assessable against him for the year preceding the
year in which he offers to register, has paid one dollar and fifty cents,
in satisfaction of the first years’ poll tax assessable against him; and.

Second. That, unless physically unable, he make application to
register in his own hand-writing, without aid, suggestion, or memo-
randum, in the presence of the registration officers, stating therein
his name, age, date and place of birth, residence and occupation at
the time and for the two years next preceding and whether he has
previously voted, and, if so, the State, county, and precinct in which
he voted last; and

Third. That he answer on oath any and all questions affecting
his qualifications as an elector, submitted to him by the officers
of registration, which questions, and his answers thereto, shall be
reduced to writing, certified by the said officers, and preserved as a
part of their official records.

And insert in lieu thereof the following:

Sec. 20. After the first day of January, nineteen hundred and
twenty-three, every citizen of the United States, male or female, hav-
ing the qualifications of age and residence required in section eighteen
shall be entitled to register, provided:

First. If a man, that he has personally paid to the proper officer
all State poll taxes assessed or assessable against him, under this
Constitution, for the three years next preceding that in which he
offers to register; or, if a woman, and she offers to register in the
year nineteen hundred and twenty-three, has personally paid to the
proper officer one dollar and fifty cents in satisfaction of the poll
tax for that year, or if she offers to register in the year nineteen
hundred and twenty-four has personally paid the State poll tax
assessed or assessable against her for the year nineteen hundred and
twenty-three, or if she offers to register in the year nineteen hundred
and twenty-five has personally paid all State poll taxes assessed or
assessable against her for the two years next preceding that year,
or if she offers.to register in the year nineteen hundred and twenty-
six, or thereafter, has personally paid all State poll taxes assessed or
assessable against her under this Constitution for the three years next
preceding that in which she offers to register; or, if he or she come
of age at such time that no poll tax shall have been assessable against
him or her for the year preceding the year in which he or she offers
to register, has personally paid one dollar and fifty cents, in satis-
faction of the first year’s poll tax assessable against him or her; and,

Second. That, unless physically unable, he or she make applica-
tion to register in his or her own hand-writing, without aid, sugges-
tion, or memorandum, in the presence of the registration officers,
stating therein his or her name, age, date and place of birth, resi-
dence and occupation at the time and for the two years next preceding,
and whether he or she has previously voted, and if so, the State,
county, and precinct in which he or she voted last; and,

Third. That he or she answer on oath any and all questions
affecting his or her qualifications as an elector, submitted to him or
her by the officers of registration, which questions, and his or her
answers thereto, shall be reduced in writing, certified by the said
officers, and preserved as a part of their official records.

Strike out from the Constitution of Virginia section twenty-one,
which is in the following words: )

Sec. 21. Any person registered under either of the last two sec-
tions shall have the right to vote for members of the general assembly
and all officers elective by the people, subject to the following con-
ditions:

That he, unless exempted by section twenty-two, shall, as a pre-
requisite to the right to vote after the first day of January, nineteen
hundred and four, personally pay, at least six months prior to the
election, all State poll taxes assessed or assessable against him, under
this Constitution, during the three years next preceding that in which
he offers to vote; provided that, if he registers after the first day of
January, nineteen hundred and four, he shall, unless physically un-
able, prepare and deposit his ballot without aid, on such printed form
as the law may prescribe; but any voter registered prior to that
date may be aided in the preparation of his ballot by such officer
of election as he himself may designate.

And insert in lieu thereof the following:

Sec. 21. Any person registered under either of the last two sec-
tions shall have the right to vote for members of the general assembly
and all officers elective by the people, subject to the following con-
ditions:
That he or she, unless exempted by section twenty-two, shall, as
a prerequisite to the right to vote after the first day of January, nine-
teen hundred and twenty-three, personally pay, at least six months
prior to the election, all State poll taxes assessed or assessable against
him or her, under the Constitution, during the three years next pre-
ceding that in which he or she offers to vote; provided, that any per-
son registered after the first day of January, nineteen hundred and
four shall, unless physically unable, prepare and deposit his or her
ballot without aid, on such printed form as the law may prescribe ;
but any voter registered prior to that date may be aided in the prepa-
ration of his ballot by such officer of election as he himself may
designate. :

Strike out from the Constitution of Virginia section one hundred
and seventy-three, which is in the folowing words:

Sec. 173. The general assembly shall levy a State capitation tax
of, and not exceeding, one dollar and fifty cents per annum on every
male resident of the State not less than twenty-one years of age,
except those pensioned by this State for military services; one dollar
of which shall be applied exclusively in aid of the public free schools,
in proportion to the school population, and the residue shall be re-
turned and paid by the State into the treasury of the county or city
in which it was collected, to be appropriated by the proper county
or city authorities to such county or city purposes as they shall re-
spectively determine; but said State capitation tax shall not be a
lien upon, nor collected by legal process from, the personal property
which may be exempt from levy or distress under the poor debtor’s
law. The general assembly may authorize the board of supervisors
of any county, or the council of any city or town, to levy an additional
capitation tax not exceeding one dollar per annum on every such
resident within its limits, which shall be applied in aid of the public
schools of such county, city or town, or for such other county, city
or town purposes as they shall determine.

And insert in lieu thereof the following:

Sec. 173. There is hereby levied, for the year nineteen hundred
and twenty-three and for every year thereafter, a State capitation tax
of one dollar and fifty cents on every male and female resident of
the State not less than twenty-one years of age, except those pensioned
by this State for military services ; one dollar of which shall be applied
exclusively in aid of the public free schools, in proportion to the
school population, and the residue shall be returned and paid by the
State into the treasury of the county or city in which it was collected,
to be appropriated by the proper county or city authorities to such
county or city purposes as they shall respectively determine; but said
State capitation tax shall not be a lien upon, nor collected by legal
process from, the personal property which may be exempt from levy
or distress under the poor debtor’s law. The general assembly shail
not levy any State capitation tax in addition to that levied by this
Constitution, but may authorize the board of supervisors of any
county, or the council of any city or town, to levy an additional capi-
tation tax not exceeding one dollar per annum on every such resident
within its limits, which shall be applied in aid of the public schools
of such county, city or town, or for such other county, city or- town
purposes as they shall determine.