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Bill

Bill

HB 835

Elections; candidates and elected officials, address confidentiality.

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Bonita Anthony and 10 co-sponsors

Virginia bill allowing candidates and elected officials to conceal residential addresses from public election records to enhance personal security and privacy.

Subcommittee recommends reporting (6-Y 2-N)
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 835

Legislative bill overview

HB 835 establishes address confidentiality protections for candidates and elected officials in Virginia, allowing them to keep their residential addresses private from public election records. The bill appears designed to protect elected officials and candidates from harassment, threats, and other security concerns related to public disclosure of their home addresses.

Why is this important

Public access to candidate and official addresses has historically enabled harassment campaigns, threats, and security breaches targeting political figures and their families. This bill attempts to balance transparency in elections with personal safety, a concern that has grown more acute as political polarization and online harassment have intensified.

Potential points of contention

  • Transparency vs. privacy trade-off: Opponents may argue that removing residential addresses from public records reduces voter ability to verify candidate legitimacy, contact representatives locally, or assess whether candidates actually live in their districts
  • Unequal application: Questions about whether confidentiality protections apply uniformly or create different standards for different candidates/officials, potentially benefiting those with greater resources
  • Implementation costs and verification: Establishing a secure system to verify addresses while keeping them confidential requires administrative infrastructure, raising fiscal concerns (note: fiscal impact statement was prepared)

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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