Public Review of V.I. Elections System State Plan To Begin March 2

The Election Reform Advisory Council, under the Virgin Islands Elections System, has completed the second revision of the state plan for the U.S. Virgin Islands in accordance with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002, and invites the public to review the plan beginning Monday, March 2. The mandatory review period will last for 30 days.

The state plan’s primary purpose is to identify where states are in compliance with HAVA and provide a course of action for states to take in areas where they are not yet compliant.

HAVA’s purpose is to make sweeping reforms to the nation’s voting process. The law addresses improvements to voting systems and voter access that were identified following the 2000 election.  HAVA creates new mandatory minimum standards for states to follow in several key areas of election administration. The law provides funding to help states meet these new standards, replace voting systems, and improve election administration.

Under HAVA, states are required to implement new programs and procedures on provisional voting, voting information, updated and upgraded voting equipment, statewide voter registration databases, voter identification procedures, and administrative complaint procedures, among other requirements.

The V.I. state plan has been placed at various public locations throughout the territory. It is available for review at the Elections System offices, at public libraries, at the Veterans Affairs offices, at the libraries on both campuses of the University of the Virgin Islands, and on Water Island. The document has also been made available at restricted areas, including Bureau of Corrections facilities, Virgin Islands National Guard and Air National Guard military installations.

The public is asked to submit their comments and recommendations on forms provided at the review sites.

The document will also be available online for review and comments beginning March 2.