Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is set to restore voting rights to thousands of former felons once the more than 69,000 Virginians complete their prison sentences.
Northam, a Democrat, announced the executive action on Tuesday, which comes ahead of the state’s gubernatorial and state legislative elections in November. Northam is barred from running for reelection due to a Virginia law that prevents governors from serving consecutive terms.
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“Letting these folks vote or exercise other civil rights isn’t a threat to public safety,” the governor said. “We’re a Commonwealth that believes in second chances. And we believe in forgiveness. We want people to move forward — not be tied down by the mistakes of their past.”
Virginia currently strips the right to vote from anyone convicted of a felony, along with other civil rights such as the ability to serve on a jury or run for public office. Under the state Constitution, Northam has the ability to restore many of those rights.
Kelly Thomasson, secretary of the commonwealth, commended the move and said state officials have been reviewing Department of Corrections records to identify former felons who can regain their right to vote.
“We’re making a kind of a technical change that has a big impact,” Thomasson told CNN. “You don’t deserve to permanently have these rights stripped away because of a mistake you made. It’s about treating people equally and fairly.”
More than 5 million people in the United States were unable to vote in the 2020 presidential election due to their felonious records, according to the Sentencing Project.
Virginia is among few states that require a governor’s approval to restore voting rights. In 18 states, felons can get the automatic restoration of voting rights upon release from prisons. Only in Maine, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., do felons retain their right to vote even while incarcerated.
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The move by Northam is likely a victory for voting rights advocates and Democrats, who are seeking to expand access to voting.
Following concerns raised about voting security in the 2020 election, a number of GOP-led state legislatures are also working on measures to tighten voting procedures, including proposing ID requirements.
