[a][1][2] The Voting Rights Act is part of a surge of progressive legislation in Virginia[b] following the recapture of the state legislature and governorship by the Democratic Party after a "generation"[4] of Republican control.

[c][3][5] It also comes at the same time Republican lawmakers across the country are engaging in a nationwide effort to make voting laws more restrictive following a failed attempt to overturn the victory of Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

In the last 14 months, the state’s Democratic-controlled General Assembly and Mr. Northam have together repealed the state's voter ID law, enacted 45 days of no-excuse absentee voting, made Election Day a state holiday and enacted automatic voter registration for anyone who receives a Virginia driver's license[d]...Ralph Northam this week (week of March 31, 2021) capped a multiyear liberal movement for greater ballot access by signing off on sweeping legislation to recreate pivotal elements of the federal Voting Rights Act that were struck down by the Supreme Court's conservative majority in 2013.

[2] As summarized by the New York Times, "Virginia, which for nearly 50 years had to submit changes to its elections to the federal government for approval under the Voting Rights Act's preclearance requirements, has now effectively imposed the same covenants on itself, an extraordinary step for a state with a long history of segregation and racially targeted voting laws".

[17][18] The bill's sponsor Marcia Price, for instance, has said that "Virginia is standing strong against a coordinated and intentional effort to restrict voting rights across the nation.

This legislation stands in stark contrast to the regressive bills that have been adopted and proposed in other states that will make it more difficult for people to vote.

[10] Some registrars worried the penalties for improperly discounting ballots could punish election workers for innocent errors made in a fast-paced and demanding work environment.