Overview
Read on for some statistics and insights about the level of civic engagement, political engagement and a “state of the state” overview of Virginia.
Civic and Political Engagement
According to the Corporation for National and Community Service for 2018:
- 34% of residents volunteer, ranking them 22nd among the 50 states and Washington, DC.
- 2,243,147 volunteers
- 231.7 million hours of service
- $5.5 billion worth of service contributed
Looking at political engagement specifically, according to this 2018 Wallethub.com study, Virginia ranks #9 politically engaged based on a weighted average across the following metrics:
- Percentage of Registered Voters in the 2016 Presidential Election
- Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2014 Midterm Election
- Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2016 Presidential Election
- Change in Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2016 Elections Compared with the 2012 Elections
- Total Political Contributions per Adult Population
- Civic Education Engagement, CIRCLE
- Voter Accessibility Policies, Ballotpedia
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Center for Responsive Politics, Ballotpedia and Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, CIRCLE.
Women in Virginia Politics
As of 2018, there are 28 women legislators in the Virginia House of Delegates, and 10 in the Virginia State Senate – for a total of 38 out of 140 seats in both chambers. This equals 27.1% of the legislature (Source: NCSL).
See how many women serve in Virginia’s executive offices here.
Virginia ranks 46th in women’s equality in 2018 – based on workplace environment (pay, unemployment and entrepreneurship rate disparity), education environment (education levels and math and reading scores), and political empowerment (disparity in elected offices) (Source: Wallethub).
What Color is Virginia?
Virginia has 13 electoral votes. “Shifting demographics, including more rapid population growth around Washington D.C., have made the state a battleground in recent elections, perhaps one that now leans Democratic again. Barack Obama won here twice and Hillary Clinton made it three in a row for Democrats, winning by about 5.5% over Donald Trump in 2016” (270towin).
State of the State
State Government Structure
Virginia’s state government is comprised of a legislative, judicial, and executive branch. The Commonwealth’s official website offers a chart showing what falls under each category. The bicameral state legislature is called the General Assembly. Meetings of the General Assembly are required by law to be open to the public, allowing more citizen involvement in Virginia’s state politics. In fact, “citizen testimony in committee and subcommittee is encouraged. Committee and subcommittee chairmen may invite members of the audience to speak for or against proposed legislation. Citizens do not need to register in advance to speak before a committee or subcommittee. Public hearings may require advanced registration” (Virginia General Assembly).
General Assembly
- Virginia House of Delegates
- 100 delegates, each elected from a separate district for a two-year term.
- Speaker of the House presides over House of Delegates.
- State Senate of Virginia
- 40 senators, each serving a four-year term.
- Lieutenant governor of Virginia presides over the State Senate.
According to Ballotpedia, “The Virginia General Assembly is the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere. It previously met in Jamestown, Virginia from 1619 until 1699, when it moved to Williamsburg, Virginia and met in the colonial Capitol. The government was moved to Richmond in 1780 during the administration of Governor Thomas Jefferson, and the General Assembly has met there ever since.”
Since 2014, Virginia has been under divided government, meaning no one political party holds the governorship and a majority in the state legislature (known as a state trifecta).
Legislative Process
- Bill is introduced in assembly.
- Bill is then referred to appropriate committee.
- Committee must report the bill by a majority in favor in order for bill to move forward.
- If defeated by the committee, the bill is then dead for the session.
- If reported out of the committee in favor:
- Bill goes through three readings in the house of origin.
- If the bill passes on the floor in both houses of the General Assembly, it is printed as an enrolled bill, signed by the presiding officer of each chamber, and then sent to the governor for approval.
- If the governor does NOT approve the bill s/he can either veto or recommend the General Assembly amend the bill.
If vetoed by the governor, the bill can only become law if both the House and the Senate approve the bill with a two-thirds majority.
If the Governor sends the bill back to the General Assembly with amendments, both the House and Senate must approve the amendments for them to be adopted. If either body does not approve the amendments, the bill then goes back to the Governor in its original form for his final consideration, when he can either sign the bill into law or veto it. (http://www.va10thamendment.org/VALegislativeProcess.pdf)
You can read more about the legislative process here, or see these flashcards to explain to kids or students.
Budget Process
Virginia’s budget process operates on a biennial budget cycle, enacted into law in even-numbered years. Amendments to it are enacted in odd-numbered years. The Department of Planning and Budget (DPB) oversees the process (see chart below).
The process is as follows (Ballotpedia):
- Budget instruction guidelines are sent to state agencies in April and August.
- State agency budget requests are submitted in June and October.
- Agency hearings are held in September and October.
- The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the Virginia General Assembly by December 20.
- The General Assembly holds public hearings in January.
- The General Assembly adopts a budget in March or April. A simple majority is required to pass a budget.
- The biennial budget cycle begins in July.
Virginia is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.
Though the governor and General Assembly are not required by law to submit or pass a balanced budget, the Virginia Constitution does require the budget to be balanced before the governor signs it into law.
Business Climate
A 2018 CNBC study ranks Virginia #4 in terms of overall business climate:
Freedom
Virginia ranks 13th in Cato Institute’s 2018 Freedom in the 50 states. The overall freedom ranking is a combination of personal and economic freedoms.
Additional Resources
- PEW Fiscal 50: State Trends and Analysis
- PEW Women in Leadership – see analysis of women in leadership on a national scale
- National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) Fiscal Survey of States
- Compare 50 – pick what stats you want to compare with what states here
- State Data Lab – compare a variety of factors among states here
- Freedom in the 50 States 2018 – Cato
- Tax Foundation facts and figures app is available for download
What You Can Do
As detailed above, Virginians have expansive potential for engaging in civic-minded and fiscally responsible activity. By forming Policy Circles across the state, women can lead the way in ensuring that policies are working and responding to individual needs at the local level.
Here’s what you can do:
- Click “It’s easy, start now” at www.thepolicycircle.org to start a circle in your area.
- Read our “Year of Conversation” for an overview of policy briefs on key issues affecting the country and your state.
- Connect with Virginia Institute for Public Policy, your state think tank and best resource for state level information on key policy issues.
- Tell a friend or family member about The Policy Circle by sending them to www.thepolicycircle.org. Any woman who believes in the power of free markets to unleash human creativity can start a Policy Circle in her area.