who can be a citizen commissioner?

To be eligible to be chosen as a citizen commissioner, you must meet certain qualification and not be excluded by certain restrictions:

You must:

1. Have been a resident of Virginia and a registered voter in Virginia for three (3) years immediately preceding the application period (Starting November 30, 2017.)

2. Have voted in at least two of the previous three general elections (November elections in 2018, 2019, 2020.)

You must not:

1. Hold, have held, or have sought partisan public office or political party office (NOTE: Those who have sought or have held non-partisan public office, in which all candidates are elected without party affiliation on the ballot, are eligible.);

2. Be employed by or have been employed by a member of the Congress of the United States or of the General Assembly or is employed directly by or has been employed directly by the United States Congress or by the General Assembly (NOTE: Employees of the executive and judicial branches, as well as local governments and government agencies, are eligible.);

3. Be employed by or have been employed by any federal, state, or local campaign (NOTE: Volunteers are eligible.);

4. Be employed by or have been employed by any political party or is a member of a political party central committee;

5. Be a registered lobbyist or lobbyist’s principal or have been such a lobbyist or lobbyist's principal in the previous five years (check lobbyist registration history here); or

6. Be a parent, spouse, child, sibling, parent-in-law, child-in-law, or sibling-in-law of a person described in subdivisions 1 through 5, or be a cohabitating member of a household with such a person.

what information does an applicant need to provide?

1. Personal contact information: race, ethnicity, gender, age, date of birth, education, household income.

2. Disclosure for the past three (3) years of

   • voter registration status

   • preferred political party affiliation

   • any political party primary elections in which you have voted (you can check your voting history here.)

   • history of any partisan public offices or political party offices held or sought

   • employment history (including current or prior employment) with the U.S. Congress or one of its members, the General Assembly or one of its members, any political party, or any campaign for a partisan political office (including a volunteer position)

   • relevant leadership experience or involvements with professional, social, political, volunteer, and community organizations and causes

3. The Committee requires three letters of recommendation from individuals or organizations.