What to know about Virginia’s constitutional amendment on the ballot this November

The statewide ballot measure aims to give tax relief to military families if their loved ones in uniform die in the line of duty.

Virginia voters will decide on a referendum to amend the state constitution to expand the number of military families who are eligible for tax relief in the event their loved ones in uniform die. 

Currently, the spouses of soldiers killed in action and veterans who are considered 100% disabled do not have to pay local property taxes. But the spouses of soldiers who die on the job but not in combat zones are not eligible for the same tax relief. 

The goal of the constitutional amendment that’s on the ballot would be to allow those spouses of soldiers killed in the line of duty but not in action access to the same property tax relief. 

“We have a gap right now in the constitutional language we’re trying to close,” Virginia state Senator Jeremy McPike said in an interview with The Dogwood. “It impacts about 185 families of those who served in our armed forces who are not provided that same benefit as other families.” 

As the state constitution requires, the General Assembly approved the ballot measure in two different sessions, and the state legislature did so with broad bipartisan support.

The text of the referendum on every Virginia ballot will read: 

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?

While broadly supported in the General Assembly, the prospect of a state mandate that will mean less revenue for localities already struggling to fund their schools and neighborhoods is not ideal for groups like the Virginia Municipal League, a nonprofit that represents localities across the state. 

“For years, VML’s policy has been clear that, ‘State-mandated tax relief programs should rely upon state dollars and not local revenues to implement,’” said Joe Flores, director of fiscal policy at the Virginia Municipal League. “VML does not oppose this constitutional amendment but will continue to remind state lawmakers that this change will expand an existing property tax exemption that is costing localities more than $227 million in foregone revenues in 2024, an increase of 21% compared to the prior year.”

Learn more about what’s on the ballot and how to vote with The Dogwood’s 2024 voting guide