Virginia governor restores voting rights to 69k ex-felons
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday that he has restored voting rights to more than 69,000 former felons who have completed their prison sentences but are still on probation.
Northam’s move mirrors a proposed constitutional amendment recently approved by the General Assembly that would automatically restore voting rights to people convicted of felonies once they serve their time and are released from prison. To take effect, the amendment must be approved by the legislature again next year and must win approval from voters in a statewide ballot referendum.
Until now, former felons who have served their sentences were not eligible to have their civil rights restored until after they completed probation. The new eligibility criteria announced by Northam means that, going forward, people convicted of felonies will become eligible to have their rights restored once they serve their prison time, although the governor’s office would still have to approve it.
https://apnews.com/article/legislature-ralph-northam-us-news-constitutions-voting-rights-d6116a65502227c9c7ea222caf62e068
