Virginia Democrats are welcoming criminals back to the ballot box.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) has restored voting rights to 66,085 felons in her first six months in office. That’s 56,000 more than former Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) restored during his entire four-year tenure, according to the official annual reports filed by the secretary of the commonwealth.
‘A shameful relic of our Jim Crow past.’
“I’m proud that — after contending with my predecessor’s efforts to deny Virginians their fundamental rights — we have restored the rights of more than 66,000 Virginians who have served their time,” Spanberger said in a Friday press release. “These Virginians deserve the right to use their vote, make their voices heard, and be recognized as contributing citizens to our Commonwealth and country.”
Spanberger’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Under Youngkin, applicants were required to submit a formal Restoration of Rights form detailing whether they had completed all terms of incarceration, were on probation or parole, or had been convicted of a violent offense.
Felons were also asked if they had “paid all fines, fees, and restitution” or were currently paying them, according to court filings.
Spanberger’s administration axed those safeguards.
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JASON REDMOND/AFP/Getty Images
The new team “re-established processes to both review applications and proactively identify — and restore the rights of — Virginians who have lost their right to vote” and is using “a streamlined, online system that removed unnecessary questions added during the Youngkin administration,” according to the press release.
The removed questions included the requirement to report probation status and fine repayment.
The governor also instructed Secretary of the Commonwealth Candi Mundon King to expand “proactive identification” of eligible ex-convicts.
Current eligibility is determined by whether a person has been convicted of a felony and is no longer incarcerated.
“By giving these Virginians back their ability to make an impact at the local, state, and national levels, we are empowering our neighbors to take hold of their second chance,” Spanberger said. “This fall, voters can cast their ballots for Virginia to no longer strip so many of our neighbors of their fundamental rights — a shameful relic of our Jim Crow past.”
Virginia voters will decide in November whether to pass a constitutional amendment automatic restoration of voting rights for released felon inmates.
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