NORFOLK, Va. — Election ballots will be different for voters depending on where they live, but there is one question all voters across the Commonwealth will see on their ballots for the 2024 election.
For the first time since 2020, Virginia ballots will ask voters to decide on a constitutional amendment change with a "yes" and "no" choice.
Ballot Question: Adding "died in the line of duty" to "killed in action" for Gold Star families
Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended so that the tax exemption that is currently available to the surviving spouses of soldiers killed in action is also available to the surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty?
How the law works now, and what could change
Right now, the Virginia Constitution allows the General Assembly to exempt from taxation the the residence of a surviving spouse of any soldier who is determined by the U.S. Department of Defense to have been killed in action.
The proposed amendment would expand this current tax exemption so that it is available to all surviving spouses of soldiers who are determined by the U.S. Department of Defense to have died in the line of duty, including those who have been killed in action.
Why that matters
Some deaths suffered by active duty military members may not, in some situations, be classified as "killed in action."
What's next?
Voters could see another constitutional amendment as early as 2026 with a question that could impose a term limit for the Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General seats in Virginia.