Last week I had the privilege of speaking with Virginia Delegate Holly Seibold. From public school teacher to non-profit founder, Seibold has spent her life giving back to her Northern Virginia community. In 2023 she took her advocacy to Richmond after winning a special election in Fairfax County’s 12th district. Since then, she’s been a champion for women’s rights, children’s safety, and countless other important issues on the House Floor.

On Her Background:

Although she only became a legislator last year, advocacy is not new to Delegate Seibold. She’s always been a volunteer. She’s worked with charities, but has also been campaigning for candidates for a long time. 

“I felt like I needed to elect representatives that shared my value system.” 

As a political science student at American University, Seibold knew she “wanted to do something impactful.” She interned for her congressman and the State Department, then spent some time working for an association. But Seibold felt like she wasn’t making the difference she knew she could make. She decided to explore a career path where she felt like her change would be more direct: as an educator. Thus, Seibold went back to school at George Washington University before beginning to teach at a public elementary school. 

It was this job that brought her to Vienna, VA – the community she now represents. While working in the school Seibold became aware of “a need in our community that wasn’t being fulfilled.” There were many members of this community, including students, who lacked access to menstruation products. Seibold began collecting and distributing pads, tampons, undergarments, and hygiene products to local women in need. What started in her garage eventually eventually grew to become BRAWS (Bringing Resources to Aid Women’s Shelters) a non-profit organization that continues to do this work today. 

But as Delegate Seibold dove deeper into this issue she began to ask herself why it even existed in the first place. When she delivered donations to women’s shelters, she said it felt like she was dropping off “bags of gold.” These were basic necessities for women, yet they were incredibly expensive, taxed, not included in government subsidies like WIC and SNAP, and unavailable in many schools, shelters, and prisons. 

“Public policy didn’t reflect the needs of women and girls in America,” she expressed. So Seibold decided to get involved. She traveled to Richmond and DC, where she worked closely with representatives to repeal the tax on menstrual products and ensure that schools and prisons were required to provide access to them as well. This process taught her a lot about state politics. 

“When the seat opened in my district, I decided to run for it, and here I am.” From teaching to testifying, Seibold has always kept serving her community close to her heart.

On the Issues:

Seibold’s experience in the classroom provides her with a unique perspective in her legislative work.  She reminded me that she views issues not just as an educator, but also as a mom of two kids. 

“My first and foremost priority is making sure kids are protected, no matter what decision we make.” This conviction explains her views on many issues. “I don’t believe guns protect our kids,” Seibold shared, “every option I have to vote for any gun violence protection measure, I do.” 

Seibold sits on the ABC/Gaming Subcommittee, which deals with legislation related to alcohol. During the COVID pandemic, the General Assembly passed legislation that allowed for third-party delivery services (Doordash, Uber Eats, etc.) to deliver alcoholic beverages to consumers. The problem with this, Seibold explained, is that it wasn’t possible to ID customers when the products were dropped off at the door. When Seibold asked these third-party vendors for additional information about how they were going to ensure this service was used safely and legally they could not provide it. “Nothing about this seems responsible,” she argued. When the original legislation allowing third-party services to deliver alcohol was up for renewal, Seibold voted against it. Next year, the companies are going to provide information on how they can ensure that they are not facilitating kids’ access to harmful substances. 

After learning that the poultry industry was violating child safety regulations, hiring kids as young as 14 to work late nights with dangerous machinery, Seibold introduced a bill to raise the price of violation fines from 1,000 to 25,000 dollars. 

This commitment to children’s safety is not an isolated occurrence for Seibold, it’s something she continually demonstrates. In the wake of a tragic car accident in her community that led to the deaths of two teenage pedestrians, Seibold advocated for a bill “that would install speed cameras in the highest risk areas in Virginia.” It didn’t pass this year, but Seibold’s not giving up. She is continuing the fight and looking fighting for it to be passed next year. Seibold continues to make children a priority. “It’s really just about what we can do to set our kids up for success.” If they’re working late or unable to get to school safely that isn’t happening.

Before stepping foot in office, much of Delegate Seibold’s work surrounded access to menstrual products. By collaborating with elected officials, she made incredible strides in increasing access to menstrual products in Virginia schools and prison systems and played an integral role in the fight for legislation to remove the tax on pads and tampons. After being sworn into office, Seibold brought forward and successfully passed a bill ensuring that students in younger grades werereceiving education on menstruation. Further, she has plans to introduce legislation expanding the earlier bill. This would ensure public schools, including public universities, like the University of Virginia, have to provide students menstruation products. As she sets her legislative agenda for the next year and looks even further into the future, Delegate Seibold continues to ask herself, “What do people want? What do people need? What do girls need in order to be educated? What do women, domestic violence victims, and other more vulnerable populations need so they can have jobs, be independent, and be safe?”

On Current Events:

Another topic Delegate Seibold discussed was the recent repeal of Roe v. Wade. Her discussion included not only her thoughts on the issue itself, but also how she felt it impacted the role of our state governments today. 

To begin, Seibold stated clearly, “the Supreme Court was wrong when they delivered that decision.” The Dobbs decision poses a major threat to women across America’s ability to receive the reproductive healthcare that they need. The only positive she sees is that it did bring more attention to the states. 

Many of the government decisions that most directly affect our lives are made in Richmond, not DC, Seibold reminded. Virginia is the last Southern state where abortion is not restricted so it is critical that we protect this right.

Seibold believes that what we need to do next is enshrine the right to have an abortion in our state constitution, “because if it’s actually in our constitution, it doesn’t matter who’s in power, it becomes a legal right for anybody who goes to Virginia.” She and other democratic legislators will be beginning the process of a constitutional amendment once the General Assembly is back in session. 

In the meantime, she’s striving to pass into law a bill allowing women in states without access to abortion to receive one in Virginia without the fear of punishment or extradition. Although the safe harbor bill she introduced last year was vetoed by Governor Youngkin, Seibold’s not discouraged from trying again. She will fight until a woman’s right to reproductive healthcare can’t be taken away. 

Finally, Delegate Seibold shared her thoughts on the 2024 election. “I am so excited about our candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris,” Seibold said enthusiastically, “and Tim Walz just brings that kindness and joy to our country that is much needed at this time.” She told me that “people really need to understand how critical this election is,” and that “democracy is on the line.” She also discussed how in order to protect the democratic system that our military fought for and died for, we need to reject Donald Trump and elect Kamala Harris. In addition, Seibold believes Harris will help to protect kids from gun violence and provide women with autonomy over their own bodies. Seibold cites Harris’s planned 6,000 dollar tax break for new families as an example of how she’s going to set up American citizens for success. 

Finally, Seibold called for everyone, but especially young people, to get out and vote. “Your voices are so important, I wish people understood how important you all are to our future.”