{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/21-143.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/21-143.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/21-143.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/21-143.html"}],"law_id":353877,"edition_id":2,"section_id":353877,"structure_id":50662,"section_number":"21-143","catch_line":"Ordering and conduct of elections","history":"1938, p. 528; Michie Code 1942, \u00a7 1560fff.","full_text":"Every order made pursuant to this chapter requiring the opening of a poll and the taking of the sense of the qualified voters of a district or proposed sanitation district on a question, shall designate the question and a date for holding such election not less than thirty days from the date of such order, and may be directed as writs of election are directed for an election district, or to fill a vacancy in the General Assembly or in Congress. It shall be the duty of the regular election officers of the counties and cities in whole or in part embraced within the district or proposed sanitation district to cause to be printed and distributed in the manner prescribed by law for printing and distributing other ballots the proper number of ballots which shall be separate from any other ballots. The ballots shall set forth the question designated in such order and shall be in substantially the following form:\n\n(Here shall appear the question designated in the order)\n\n[ ] YES\n\n[ ] NO\n\nTo vote “Yes” on the question, place a checkmark (\u2713) or cross (+ or \u2717) in the space opposite the word “Yes”; to vote “No” on the question, place a checkmark (\u2713) or cross (+ or \u2717) in the space opposite the word “No.”\n\nThe regular election officers, at the time designated in such order, shall open the polls at the various voting places in the district or proposed sanitation district and at any other voting places at which any qualified voter of the district or proposed sanitation district is entitled to vote, and shall conduct such election and close the polls in such manner as is provided by law in other elections. The ballots shall be counted, and returns made and canvassed and the results ascertained and made known as in other elections, and the results certified by the commissioners of election to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, all in such manner as to show the respective numbers of affirmative and negative votes cast at the election. The Secretary of the Commonwealth shall record and tabulate the reports of the commissioners of election and shall certify the result of the election to the court which made the order authorizing and requiring such election.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1318261,"text":"Every order made pursuant to this chapter requiring the opening of a poll and the taking of the sense of the qualified voters of a district or proposed sanitation district on a question, shall designate the question and a date for holding such election not less than thirty days from the date of such order, and may be directed as writs of election are directed for an election district, or to fill a vacancy in the General Assembly or in Congress. It shall be the duty of the regular election officers of the counties and cities in whole or in part embraced within the district or proposed sanitation district to cause to be printed and distributed in the manner prescribed by law for printing and distributing other ballots the proper number of ballots which shall be separate from any other ballots. The ballots shall set forth the question designated in such order and shall be in substantially the following form:","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"next_prefix":""},"1":{"id":1318262,"text":"(Here shall appear the question designated in the order)","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"2":{"id":1318263,"text":"[ ] YES","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"3":{"id":1318264,"text":"[ ] NO","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"4":{"id":1318265,"text":"To vote “Yes” on the question, place a checkmark (\u2713) or cross (+ or \u2717) in the space opposite the word “Yes”; to vote “No” on the question, place a checkmark (\u2713) or cross (+ or \u2717) in the space opposite the word “No.”","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"5":{"id":1318266,"text":"The regular election officers, at the time designated in such order, shall open the polls at the various voting places in the district or proposed sanitation district and at any other voting places at which any qualified voter of the district or proposed sanitation district is entitled to vote, and shall conduct such election and close the polls in such manner as is provided by law in other elections. The ballots shall be counted, and returns made and canvassed and the results ascertained and made known as in other elections, and the results certified by the commissioners of election to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, all in such manner as to show the respective numbers of affirmative and negative votes cast at the election. The Secretary of the Commonwealth shall record and tabulate the reports of the commissioners of election and shall certify the result of the election to the court which made the order authorizing and requiring such election.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":""}},"ancestry":[{"id":50662,"edition_id":2,"name":"General Provisions","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":50661,"metadata":{"child_laws":4,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:30:57","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:54","permalink":{"id":1406715,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50662,"identifier":"1","token":"21\/3\/1","url":"\/21\/3\/1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50661,"edition_id":2,"name":"Sanitation Districts Law of 1938 -- Tidal Waters","identifier":"3","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":3,"parent_id":50656,"metadata":{"child_laws":84,"child_structures":8},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:30:57","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:54","permalink":{"id":1406713,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50661,"identifier":"3","token":"21\/3","url":"\/21\/3\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50656,"edition_id":2,"name":"Drainage, Soil Conservation, Sanitation and Public Facilities Districts","identifier":"21","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":58,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":358,"child_structures":25},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:30:49","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:54","permalink":{"id":1406467,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50656,"identifier":"21","token":"21","url":"\/21\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":353875,"structure_id":50662,"section_number":"21-141","catch_line":"Short title","url":"\/21-141\/","token":"21\/3\/1\/21-141","metadata":false},{"id":353876,"structure_id":50662,"section_number":"21-142","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/21-142\/","token":"21\/3\/1\/21-142","metadata":false},{"id":353877,"structure_id":50662,"section_number":"21-143","catch_line":"Ordering and conduct of elections","url":"\/21-143\/","token":"21\/3\/1\/21-143","metadata":false},{"id":353878,"structure_id":50662,"section_number":"21-144","catch_line":"Court proceedings","url":"\/21-144\/","token":"21\/3\/1\/21-144","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":353876,"structure_id":50662,"section_number":"21-142","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/21-142\/","token":"21\/3\/1\/21-142","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":353878,"structure_id":50662,"section_number":"21-144","catch_line":"Court proceedings","url":"\/21-144\/","token":"21\/3\/1\/21-144","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/21-143\/","history_text":false,"references":[{"id":353883,"section_number":"21-149","catch_line":"Hearing and determination; ordering election","order_by":null,"url":"\/21-149\/"},{"id":353924,"section_number":"21-190","catch_line":"Election prior to issuance","order_by":null,"url":"\/21-190\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1406725,"object_type":"law","relational_id":353877,"identifier":"21-143","token":"21\/3\/1\/21-143","url":"\/21-143\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/21-143\/","token":"21\/3\/1\/21-143","dublin_core":{"Title":"Ordering and conduct of elections","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 21-143","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Every order<\/span> made pursuant to this chapter requiring the opening of a poll and the taking of the sense of the qualified voters of a district<\/span> or proposed sanitation district<\/span> on a question, shall designate the question and a date for holding such election not less than thirty days from the date of such order<\/span>, and may be directed as writs<\/span> of election are directed for an election district<\/span>, or to fill a vacancy in the General Assembly or in Congress. It shall be the duty of the regular election officers of the counties and cities in whole or in part embraced within the district<\/span> or proposed sanitation district<\/span> to cause to be printed and distributed in the manner prescribed by law<\/span> for printing and distributing other ballots the proper number of ballots which shall be separate from any other ballots. The ballots shall set forth the question designated in such order<\/span> and shall be in substantially the following form:<\/p>

(Here shall appear the question designated in the order<\/span>)<\/p>

[ ] YES<\/p>

[ ] NO<\/p>

To vote “Yes” on the question, place a checkmark (\u2713) or cross (+ or \u2717) in the space opposite the word “Yes”; to vote “No” on the question, place a checkmark (\u2713) or cross (+ or \u2717) in the space opposite the word “No.”<\/p>

The regular election officers, at the time designated in such order<\/span>, shall open the polls at the various voting places in the district<\/span> or proposed sanitation district<\/span> and at any other voting places at which any qualified voter of the district<\/span> or proposed sanitation district<\/span> is entitled to vote, and shall conduct such election and close the polls in such manner as is provided by law<\/span> in other elections. The ballots shall be counted, and returns made and canvassed and the results ascertained and made known as in other elections, and the results certified by the commissioners of election to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, all in such manner as to show the respective numbers of affirmative and negative votes cast at the election. The Secretary of the Commonwealth shall record and tabulate the reports of the commissioners of election and shall certify the result of the election to the court<\/span> which made the order<\/span> authorizing and requiring such election.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nORDERING AND CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS (\u00a7 21-143)\n\nEvery order made pursuant to this chapter requiring the opening of a poll and\nthe taking of the sense of the qualified voters of a district or proposed\nsanitation district on a question, shall designate the question and a date for\nholding such election not less than thirty days from the date of such order, and\nmay be directed as writs of election are directed for an election district, or\nto fill a vacancy in the General Assembly or in Congress. It shall be the duty\nof the regular election officers of the counties and cities in whole or in part\nembraced within the district or proposed sanitation district to cause to be\nprinted and distributed in the manner prescribed by law for printing and\ndistributing other ballots the proper number of ballots which shall be separate\nfrom any other ballots. The ballots shall set forth the question designated in\nsuch order and shall be in substantially the following form:\n\n(Here shall appear the question designated in the order)\n\n[ ] YES\n\n[ ] NO\n\nTo vote “Yes” on the question, place a checkmark (\u2713) or cross (+\nor \u2717) in the space opposite the word “Yes”; to vote\n“No” on the question, place a checkmark (\u2713) or cross (+ or \u2717) in\nthe space opposite the word “No.”\n\nThe regular election officers, at the time designated in such order, shall open\nthe polls at the various voting places in the district or proposed sanitation\ndistrict and at any other voting places at which any qualified voter of the\ndistrict or proposed sanitation district is entitled to vote, and shall conduct\nsuch election and close the polls in such manner as is provided by law in other\nelections. The ballots shall be counted, and returns made and canvassed and the\nresults ascertained and made known as in other elections, and the results\ncertified by the commissioners of election to the Secretary of the Commonwealth,\nall in such manner as to show the respective numbers of affirmative and negative\nvotes cast at the election. The Secretary of the Commonwealth shall record and\ntabulate the reports of the commissioners of election and shall certify the\nresult of the election to the court which made the order authorizing and\nrequiring such election.\n\nHISTORY: 1938, p. 528; Michie Code 1942, \u00a7 1560fff.","edition":{"id":2,"name":"2026","slug":"2026","date_created":"2026-07-16 18:40:23","date_modified":"2026-08-02 15:14:36","current":1,"order_by":2,"last_import":"2026-08-02 12:37:30"}}