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Governor Abigail Spanberger Restores Voting Rights to Over 66,000 Virginians with Past Felony Convictions

Governor Abigail Spanberger announced on Friday that her administration has restored the voting rights of more than 66,000 Virginians who have served their sentences following felony convictions. This move reverses the restrictive approach of her predecessor, Glenn Youngkin, whose administration had gutted the streamlined restoration process and reviewed applications on an individual basis, resulting in fewer restorations. Spanberger's administration has reestablished a proactive system to identify and restore rights for those who have completed their time, removing unnecessary requirements added during the Youngkin era. The governor described the current disenfranchisement policy as a "shameful relic of our Jim Crow past." To ensure long-term reform, Virginians will vote on a constitutional amendment this November on whether to make the restoration of voting rights automatic for those who finish their felony sentences. If passed, the amendment would remove the governor's sole discretion over the process, bringing Virginia in line with 23 other states that automatically restore rights upon release from incarceration.

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