Chap. 357.—An ACT to amend Chapter 13 of the Code of Virginia by adding
thereto a new section numbered 157-a, relating to the candidacy of electors for
President and Vice-President, and to repeal section 157 of the Code and any
acts or parts of acts inconsistent with this act, to the extent of such incon-
sistency. [H 514]

Approved March 31, 1948

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia be amended by adding thereto a new
section numbered one hundred fifty-seven-a, which shall read as follows:

Section 157-a. Elections of electors of the President and Vice-
President.—In elections for President and Vice-President of the United
States the names of electors selected by the different political parties
at their respective State conventions held for that purpose, together
with the name of the political party and the names of the candidates
for President and Vice-President for whom they are expected to vote
in the electoral college, shall be furnished to the State Board of Elections
at least thirty days before any election for the said electors of President
and Vice-President by any person or persons duly authorized so to do
as a representative of said party. The State Board of Elections shall also
be furnished, if request therefor is made, with satisfactory evidence that
any person undertaking to so act as representative of or on behalf of
any political party is, in fact, duly and properly authorized so to do. A
political party for the purpose of this section shall mean an organization
or affiliation of citizens of the State of Virginia which at the last preced-
ing statewide general election polled at least five per cent of the total
vote cast for an office filled in that election by the voters of the State
at large and which has a State central committee which has been
continually in existence since the last preceding statewide election.

Any group of qualified voters of not less than one thousand in num-
ber, not constituting a political party as defined above, may have the
names of electors selected by them printed upon the official ballot to
be used in the election of electors for President and Vice-President by
filing a petition so requesting with the State Board of Elections not less
than thirty days before said election. Said petition, which shall be signed
by said voters and the signatures to which shall be witnessed by a person
whose affidavit to that effect is attached to said petition, shall set forth
the names of the electors selected by such voters, the party name under
which they desire the electors so selected to be listed on the ballot, and
the names of the candidates for President and Vice-President for whom
such electors are expected to vote in the electoral college. The party
name selected by any such group of qualified voters shall not be identical
to the name of any political party as herein defined.

It shall thereupon be the duty of the State Board of Elections imme-
diately to so notify the secretary of the electoral board of each county
and city of the State, and to certify to each said secretary the form of
official ballot which shall be uniform throughout the State. It shall then
become the duty of the electoral board of each of the several counties
and cities within the State, at least twenty days preceding such election,
to cause to be printed on the uniform official ballot provided for in this
chapter, the name of each said political party and the party name
specified by the persons naming electors by petition, and underneath
or below the party name in parenthesis the words “Electors for ................
veceessseseeceeceees , President and .....00..000000002c..20.., Wice-President” with
the blanks filled in with the names of the candidates for President and
Vice-President for whom said candidates for electors are expected to
vote in the electoral college; after which the names of the electors
nominated by said political parties or groups or petitioners shall follow;
and to print a square preceding the name of each such party and party
designation. The qualified voters at said election shall designate their
preference for candidates for electors of President and Vice-President
by marking, as provided in section one hundred sixty-two, the square
preceding the name of the political party or party name of his choice, and
the ballots so marked shall be counted as if squares preceding the names
of the individual electors nominated or selected by such political parties
or the groups of petitioners had been so marked.

The electors selected by the State conventions by any political party
as herein defined shall be expected to vote in the electoral college for
the nominees of any national convention to which the said State con-
vention elects delegates unless the said candidates for electors shall be
instructed by a State convention of the said political party at least sixty
days before the genera] election in November that they are expected to
vote for other persons; in which event any person or persons duly
authorized so to do as a National representative of the Party holding
such National convention may certify to the State Board of Elections
under the same terms and conditions and with the same effect the names
of its Virginia electors together with the name of the political party and
the names of the candidates for President and Vice-President for whom
they are expected to vote in the Electoral College.

The electors named in any petition of qualified voters as hereinabove
provided shall be expected to vote in the electoral college for President
and for Vice-President for such persons as may be named in the said

ition.

a) Section’ one hundred and fifty-seven of the Code is hereby
repealed, and all acts or parts of acts inconsistent with this act are
hereby repealed to the extent of such inconsistency.