November 1, 2024 Newsletter
Dear friends,
This week’s newsletter discusses the Youngkin administration’s purge of voters and shares my recent op-ed in the Cardinal News, highlights the Virginia Education Summit and recent Commission meetings, and shares details from select community engagements. Thank you for reading this newsletter and for staying informed.
Youngkin’s Purge of Voters
Voting as a noncitizen is illegal, and individuals who make false statements about citizenship can be fined, imprisoned, and even deported. A noncitizen who registers to vote can also lose the ability to ever become a permanent resident or U.S. citizen. For a noncitizen, that’s a lot to risk just to cast a ballot in a local, state, or federal election. When the average voter turnout in the United States hovers between 52-56% for presidential elections, it strains credulity to believe that noncitizens are rushing to cast illegal ballots while almost half of the eligible voting population does not bother to show up at any polling location. And yet Donald Trump claims that “millions” of noncitizens are voting. Trump is sowing the seeds of doubt about the 2024 election results by deliberately lying. Sadly, Governor Youngkin is following his lead.
In early August, Youngkin issued an executive order directing local registrars and other agencies to purge voters daily, in direct violation of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. The reason for the purge? He claims that thousands of noncitizens are casting ballots in Virginia. In fact, he touts that he has purged “6,303 noncitizens from the state’s voter rolls during his first 2 1⁄2 years in office.” No evidence exists to back this claim. To the contrary, research and analysis indicates that the purged voters are American citizens who have been disenfranchised of their voting rights.
After lawsuits were filed against the Youngkin administration for violations of voting rights, a federal judge ruled last Friday that the administration acted unlawfully when it purged voters from Virginia’s voter rolls within 90 days of an election. Just days earlier, I had highlighted my concerns with the Governor’s actions in my op-ed in the Cardinal News. When the Youngkin team appealed the decision of the federal judge, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously rejected the Youngkin Administration's claims.
Despite the rulings of the federal courts, Trump-appointed judges of the US Supreme Court, along with their zealous conservative colleagues, issued an order capitulating to Youngkin: 1,600 Virginians will remain purged from voter rolls in this year’s election. And Youngkin celebrated.
None of us have cause to celebrate when citizens are denied their most fundamental right.
Voting Information: Early Voting and Election Day
Today and tomorrow are the final two days of early in-person voting before Election Day on Tuesday, November 5. For residents of Senate District 15 (Richmond City and Chesterfield County), more details are available below:
Early Voting Locations: Chesterfield County
Early in-person voting is available at Central Library (7051 Lucy Corr Blvd, Chesterfield, VA 23832) today, November 1, from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. Saturday voting is available tomorrow, November 2, from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. Please note that early voting is not available at the Chesterfield Registrar’s Office—this is a change from past years.
Additional satellite locations are also open:
- Clover Hill Library (6701 Deer Run Drive, Midlothian, VA 23112)
- Ettrick-Matoaca Library (4501 River Road, South Chesterfield, VA 23803)
- LaPrade Library (9000 Hull Street Road, North Chesterfield, VA 23236)
- Meadowdale Library (4301 Meadowdale Boulevard, North Chesterfield, VA 23234)
- North Courthouse Road Library (325 Courthouse Road, North Chesterfield, VA 23236)
Residents registered to vote in Chesterfield County may vote at any of the following locations during the early voting period. View polling location hours through the Chesterfield County Registrar’s Office.
Early Voting Locations: City of Richmond
Early in-person voting is available for City of Richmond residents at the following locations:
- City of Richmond Office of Elections (2134 West Laburnum Avenue, Richmond)
- Richmond City Hall (900 East Broad Street, Richmond)
- Hickory Hill Community Center (3000 East Belt Blvd, Richmond)
Residents registered to vote in the City of Richmond may vote at any of the listed locations during the early voting period. View polling location hours through the Richmond Registrar’s Office.
Voting on Election Day
For those voters who do not cast early or mail-in ballots, Election Day is Tuesday, November 5:
- Polls are open from 6:00 am until 7:00 pm. Voters who are in line by 7:00 pm will be able to vote, regardless of the length of line.
- Election Day polling locations can be confirmed at the Virginia Department of Elections website.
- An acceptable form of ID is required. Voters without an acceptable form of ID can sign an ID Confirmation Statement or vote a provisional ballot. These voters will need to submit a copy of a valid ID by 12:00 pm on Friday, November 8.
- Curbside voting is available for constituents with disabilities or mobility limitations.
Absentee Voting
Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday, November 5. Individuals who requested an absentee ballot but now prefer to vote in-person must bring the absentee ballot to the polling location to be voided. More information on absentee ballots and voting is available at the Virginia Department of Elections.
The Virginia Education Summit
The Virginia Education Summit was held last Monday and Tuesday, on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), in collaboration with The Hunt Institute. The two-day summit covered topics such as “Embedding Quality into Early Learning,” the new K-12 Accountability System, and preparing students for higher education and emerging workforce needs. Legislators also had the opportunity to hear directly from Virginia’s superintendents and principals, to learn from educators’ experiences within the classroom, and to discuss possible legislative proposals for the upcoming session.
Commission Meetings
Over the past two weeks, I have attended several of my appointed Commission and Board meetings. Last Wednesday, the Joint Commission on Health Care (JCHC) received proposals on improved methods for measuring the performance and impact of healthcare workforce programs. We also received a comprehensive presentation on extending healthcare access to vulnerable populations, including mobile health clinics, community paramedic programs, home visiting, community health workers, and telehealth. The work of JCHC is helping guide policy outcomes for Commission members as we head into the 2025 legislative session in January.
Last Thursday afternoon, the Joint Commission on Technology and Science's Online and Data Protections Subcommittee concluded its review of bills referred to the Commission from the 2024 session. These bills targeted areas such as user age verification, parental consent, and children's privacy measures.
This past Tuesday, the Joint Subcommittee on Pandemic Response and Preparedness received several policy recommendations in three central areas and divided into subcommittees to address each of those areas: Government and Regulatory Systems; Health Care Systems and Emergency Management; and Education. These subcommittees will be making final recommendations by December.
On Thursday, the Joint Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education Funding continued to receive policy recommendations for the development of a new public education funding model. Presentations evaluated several of the key areas highlighted by last Fall’s JLARC report, including revised calculations for local funding of public schools and funding for special education. Several of these recommendations will be translated into legislative and budget proposals for the 2025 Session.
Shadowing the Senator
Last week, my office hosted our fifteenth Shadowing the Senator program participant, Rayan. A high school student interested in witnessing state government in action, he traveled from Falls Church for our day together and offered these reflections:
This past week, Senator Hashmi graciously invited me to witness the inner workings of the legislative processes, as well as in-depth conversations for the success of our state. This unforgettable experience has empowered me to apply my knowledge from inside the classroom to real-world circumstances—I have learned more in a day than I have ever learned as an aspiring changemaker. I wholeheartedly recommend anyone to come to Senator Hashmi's Office who, including her incredible team, treated me with the utmost respect. Senator Hashimi has inspired me to pursue my ambitions and, soon, inspire change like Senator Hashmi and her team are making in our communities.
My office holds Shadowing the Senator opportunities throughout the year for students (high school or older) and for adult constituents. Interested individuals can reach out by email to senatorhashmi@senate.virginia.gov.
Select Community Engagements
We have had a busy two weeks here and have several engagements to highlight:
Last Tuesday evening, I joined the Virginia Nurses Association for its Legislative Advocacy Hour to learn more about the issues impacting our healthcare providers. Top of mind were how to increase Virginia’s nursing workforce, ensure safety in the workplace, and expand the number of school nurses.
Last Wednesday evening, I joined legislators, business leaders, environmental organizations, and outdoor enthusiasts for a reception hosted by VirginiaFOREVER. This upcoming General Assembly session will be focused on defending the environmental progress made with the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), protecting Virginia’s environment, and ensuring all residents have safe, healthy communities.
On Thursday, I joined members of the Virginia Community Health Workers Association (CHWA) for its fourth annual conference in Richmond. During my keynote address, I highlighted how CHWs are vital parts of our healthcare system. During this most recent General Assembly session, we allocated $6,400,000 across the biennium to support CHW positions at Virginia's local health districts.
On Friday, Senator Barbara Favola and I spoke to the Democratic Business Council of Northern Virginia’s (“DemBiz”) Signature Speaker Series. We discussed this year’s elections, policy issues, and the upcoming 2025 General Assembly session.
Saturday was an eventful day, as I traveled to Virginia Beach with the Virginia Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus (VAAPIC) Fund for our VAAPIC Fund Day of Action with Missy Cotter Smasel’s campaign in CD-02. The energy was electric, as volunteers from across the state (and Texas!) heard from members of VAAPIC, including me, Senator Saddam Salim, and Delegates Irene Shin and Kelly Convirs Fowler. The highlights of the afternoon launch were U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, and Congressman Bobby Scott.
After our canvass launch, Delegate Irene Shin and I held a listening session in Yorktown on behalf of the Virginia Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus (VAAPIC). As Chair and Vice Chair of VAAPIC, respectively, Delegate Shin and I appreciate the ways in which these listening sessions provide us the opportunity to hear directly from the diverse communities we serve. These conversations focus on priority issues such as necessary support for small businesses and language accessibility. As we prepare for the 2025 General Assembly session, these discussions will guide the legislative focal points of the Caucus and our members.
Sunday was a beautiful day for early voting, as communities of faith from across Richmond participated in the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy’s Souls to the Polls. This past Sunday was the only Sunday voting date in Richmond for this election season. Faith communities have long been at the forefront of civil rights and political movements, and have fought for social and political justice in the United States for generations. I joined Delegate Mike Jones in supporting the Hickory Hill Community Center as a polling location for city residents. I also cast my own ballot as a part of Souls to the Polls event. Voters still have time to vote early between now and November 2. Polling and other information is available at iwillvote.com.
I ended our exciting weekend by traveling on Sunday to Springfield, Virginia, for the Don't Boo...Vote Blue Rally, hosted by Delegates Kathy Tran, and co-hosted by Vivian Watts, Mark Sickles, and Rozia Henson, along with the Braddock, Franconia, Mount Vernon, and Springfield Democratic Committees. Families from across Northern Virginia came to celebrate Get Out the Vote with fun Halloween activities such as a costume contest and pumpkin carving. We are fewer than ten days from Election Day, but we still have time to make phone calls, canvass, and get community members to the polls.
On Monday, I happy to join the Virginia Association of School Superintendents (VASS) to discuss concerns about the new accountability and accreditation system proposed by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), the movement towards a new funding model for K-12, possible legislation proposals for the 2025 General Assembly, and a variety of other topics.
On Tuesday evening, I attended the opening night of the Dimensions in Testimony Exhibition at the Virginia Holocaust Museum. Using specialized recording and display technologies and next-gen AI speech processing, Dimensions in Testimony allows visitors to ask Holocaust survivors questions and receive responses in real time. The Virginia Holocaust Museum features Halina Zimm, a beloved Richmond-area resident, who is a Holocaust survivor. Halina was videotaped for 15 hours over 5 days in 2023, answering questions about her experiences during the Holocaust. Visitors to the Museum can interact with Halina, asking her questions about her childhood and her experiences of surviving the terrors of war and genocide.
Commemorations: Día de los Muertos and Native American Heritage Month
Today marks the beginning of Día de los Muertos. As people across the Commonwealth commemorate Dia de los Muertos to honor and remember the lives of the dearly departed, we wish families meaningful celebrations. Hoy marca el inicio del Día de Muertos. Mientras se celebra el Día de Muertos en el Commonwealth para honrar y recordar las vidas de los difuntos, le deseamos a familias feliz celebraciones.
November is National Native American Heritage Month and is a time to honor and celebrate the history, cultures, and traditions of America’s Indigenous communities. More information on America’s Indigenous peoples can be found through The Library of Congress and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. Additional information on Virginia’s state-recognized tribes highlights the Indigenous members of the region.
Connecting With My Office
My office can be reached at the following:
Email: SenatorHashmi@senate.virginia.gov
Phone: 804.698.7515
If you were forwarded this email, you can sign up to receive my office’s weekly newsletter here.
— Ghazala
