CODE OF VIRGINIA

HOW REFERENDUM ELECTIONS CALLED AND HELD, AND THE RESULTS ASCERTAINED AND
CERTIFIED (§ 24.2-684)

Notwithstanding any other provision of any law or charter to the contrary, the
provisions of this section shall govern all referenda.No referendum shall be
placed on the ballot unless specifically authorized by statute or by
charter.Whenever any question is to be submitted to the voters of any county,
city, town, or other local subdivision, the referendum shall in every case be
held pursuant to a court order as provided in this section. The court order
calling a referendum shall state the question to appear on the ballot in plain
English as that term is defined in § 24.2-687. The order shall be entered and
the election held within a reasonable period of time subsequent to the receipt
of the request for the referendum if the request is found to be in proper order.
The court order shall set the date for the referendum in conformity with the
requirements of § 24.2-682.A copy of the court order calling a referendum shall
be sent immediately to the State Board by the clerk of the court in which the
order was issued.The ballot shall be prepared by the appropriate general
registrar and distributed to the appropriate precincts. On the day fixed for the
referendum, the regular election officers shall open the polls and take the
sense of the qualified voters of the county, city, town, or other local
subdivision, as the case may be, on the question so submitted. The ballots for
use at any such election shall be printed to state the question as
follows:”(Here state briefly the question submitted)[] Yes[] No”The
ballots shall be printed, marked, and counted and returns made and canvassed as
in other elections. The results shall be certified by the secretary of the
appropriate electoral board to the State Board, to the court ordering the
election, and to such other authority as may be proper to accomplish the purpose
of the election.

HISTORY: Code 1950, § 24-141; 1966, c. 115; 1970, c. 462, § 24.1-165; 1974, c.
428; 1975, c. 515; 1976, c. 616; 1978, cc. 258, 304; 1979, c. 37; 1980, c. 639;
1981, c. 367; 1982, cc. 498, 650; 1983, c. 461; 1991, c. 592; 1993, c. 641;
1994, c. 142; 1996, c. 297; 2016, cc. 18, 492.