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Information Concerning Restoration of Rights.

For those petitioners eligible to use the short form for restoration of rights, completed applications must be received by August 1, 2008 in order to have them acted upon by October 6, 2008. October 6 is the last day to register to be able to vote in the November 2008 election. Please be advised that action on long-form applications takes longer.

Did You Know?

According to the latest U.S. Census, the Latino community comprises approximately 6% of Virginia's population. In fact, Latinos are among the fastest- growing ethnic groups in the state, with native-born U.S. citizens coming here from all parts of the country, and foreign-born residents coming from all over the world. Their wide range of skills and diverse cultures brings endless potential to the Commonwealth.

It's a potential both Governor Kaine and the Secretary of the Commonwealth embrace. The Governor's Office has an officially appointed Latino Liaison who works with the Governor’s Office, various governmental agencies both state and local, community organizations, the private sector, and Latino leaders to better serve this growing community.

For more information, please feel free to contact Sindy Benavides, Latino Liaison & Director of Gubernatorial Appointments at 804.225.4836.

What We Do

One of the functions of our office is to assist the Governor in his appointments of over 4,000 individuals to serve on Virginia's boards and commissions. All Virginians are encouraged to participate in the government of our Commonwealth by offering to serve on a board or commission, or by recommending qualified candidates.

Those of us who serve in the Kaine administration are deeply committed to the principles of diversity and inclusion and welcome all segments of the Commonwealth's population into our government. This is what makes the theory of self-government a reality.

Note: For information regarding corporations, businesses, certificates of authority, or change of address please contact the Clerk's Office in the State Corporation Commission at 804-371-9733 or toll free (Virginia only) 866-722-2551.

Message about Electronic Notaries.

Virginia law provides the Governor the authority to appoint notaries public. Even though laws were enacted to provide for persons to be commissioned as electronic notaries public and to enable them to perform electronic notarizations in Virginia, the Attorney General of Virginia has officially advised that these laws do not authorize any official or office to develop, recognize or enforce any technological standards or requirements relative to electronic notaries public or electronic notarizations. The Virginia Information Technologies Agency conducted a risk assessment of proceeding to implement these laws without any technological standards or requirements and concluded that doing so would be inherently prone to fraud and would lead to an overall lack of confidence in electronic notarization in Virginia.

Based on the advice from the Attorney General of Virginia and the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, the Governor has determined that commissioning anyone to perform electronic notarization will be postponed until these concerns are remedied by the General Assembly of Virginia.

Calling All Virginians

We are actively seeking qualified Virginians to serve their Commonwealth. Many citizens possess specialized professional knowledge and experience that would be of great value to a board or commission. If you are interested in serving as a gubernatorial appointee, please be sure to peruse our 2007 Term Appointments list (pdf, 394 k); this will give you a good idea of the type of boards and positions available.

For more information, including applications, instructions and staff contacts, visit our Appointments pages.

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