May Nivar is a Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates for the 57th District, which covers parts of Henrico and Goochland counties. She took office on January 14, 2026, after defeating Republican incumbent David Owen in the November 2025 election. Before entering the legislature she worked in corporate social responsibility.
Case
Networked automated license-plate cameras can assemble searchable records of vehicle movements. Candidates and officials disagree over whether to ban the systems, keep them with limits, or defend them as investigative tools. This tracker separates outright bans from narrower restrictions.
Role at the time: Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates for the 57th District (Henrico and Goochland)
Statement summary
Virginia Delegate May Nivar (D-Henrico) posted on X that she is encouraged that Henrico and Goochland decided to move away from Flock cameras after hearing residents' privacy and accountability concerns. She wrote that law enforcement needs effective tools used responsibly and with safeguards, and that the General Assembly should seek a balance of public safety, privacy, accountability and local authority next session.
“I’m encouraged that Henrico and Goochland have each decided to move away from Flock cameras after hearing residents’ concerns about privacy and accountability. Public safety and privacy are not competing values. Law enforcement needs effective tools, but those tools must be used responsibly and with appropriate safeguards. ... As the General Assembly revisits this issue next session, we must work toward the right balance between public safety, privacy, accountability, and the authority of local communities to make decisions that reflect their residents’ values.”
The reference point is whether networked license-plate reader systems such as Flock should exist and be used. Nivar welcomes two localities moving away from Flock, says law enforcement needs effective tools used with appropriate safeguards, and asks the General Assembly to balance privacy with local authority. She backs safeguards and local choice rather than an end to the systems, so we labeled it Mixed or conditional and placed it at Guardrails on the remedy ladder. The closest competing label is Condemned, which would fit a call to end the networks; her post asks for balance, not an end.
Statement dates: October 6, 2026
Statement dates: October 6, 2026
Statement dates: October 6, 2026
