So I was poking around on the Fairfax County Democrats website and discovered a list of three ballot questions that would attempt to amend the Virginia Constitution. This is news to me, I have been well aware of the hateful Marshall/Newman Amendment that strips away protections for domestic partners who are not married and writes discrimination into the constitution; but I had never heard of the other two proposed amendments.
Here are some details as a voter service:
Ballot Questions:
* Ballot Question #1: Delegate Robert Marshall and Senator Stephen Newman have proposed the Marshall/Newman Amendment to the constitution of Virginia. We voters get to approve or reject the proposed amendment this November. The exact text of the amendment will be:
Shall Article I (the Bill of Rights) of the Constitution of Virginia be amended to state:
That only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this Commonwealth and its political subdivisions.
This Commonwealth and its political subdivisions shall not create or recognize a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance, or effects of marriage. Nor shall this Commonwealth or its political subdivisions create or recognize another union, partnership, or other legal status to which is assigned the rights, benefits, obligations, qualities, or effects of marriage
* Ballot Question #2: Delegate Michele McQuigg and Senator William Mims (no longer in office) have proposed the Church Incorporation Amendment, which would allow churches to incorporate in Virginia (one of very few states that does not permit such a thing):
Shall Section 14 of Article IV of the Constitution of Virginia be amended by deleting the provision that prohibits the incorporation of churches, a provision that was ruled to be unconstitutional and therefore now is obsolete?
* Ballot Question #3: Delegate Riley Ingram and Senators John Edwards and Charles Hawkins have proposed a Property Tax Law amendment to the Constitution of Virginia.
Shall Section 6 of Article X of the Constitution of Virginia be amended to authorize legislation to permit localities to provide a partial exemption from real property taxes for real estate with new structures and improvements in conservation, redevelopment, or rehabilitation areas?
Registered voters will simply be able to vote yes or no on each proposed amendment.
More details, as they become clear to me on my Virginia Elections and Voting Guide (which is strictly non-partisan and for informing voters only).
My initial take is a strongly vehement NO on ballot question #1.
I am less clear about the other two questions. I smell a rat in question #2. I’ll admit to prejudgement: anything proposed by Mims and McQuigg is automatically suspect in my book. This also looks an awful lot like it’s tied to Mims’ infamous attempts to make it easier for Virginia Churches to break off from their more liberal national denominations. There is a good deal about this in the Roanoke Times from regarding a different law (also sponsored by Mims), and I do not know that the two are related, but it looks suspect. On the other hand, Governor Kaine signed this one, a U.S. district court already struck down the prohibition on Churches (or any group) from incorporating, and the plain text looks reasonable enough… I am wavering, but may vote yes on ballot question #2.
Question #3 looks like a permission to allow local governments (county/town/city) to provide tax breaks/exemptions to property owners who are doing improvements in areas that need some work. Seems straightforward enough. Tentatively voting yes on ballot question #3 pending further research into why the constitution prohibited this in the first place (probably an issue of fairness).
I’d love to hear feedback on any of these.
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