Gov. McAuliffe today restored more voting rights to ex-felons than any other previous governor, according to a statement released by his office.
Gov. McAuliffe today restored more voting rights to ex-felons than any other previous governor, according to a statement released by his office.
“I have always believed that people who have served their time and paid their debts to society should have the opportunity to be contributing members of society again,” said McAuliffe at an event today. Virginia is fourth highest in the nation for ex-felon disenfranchisement. “By providing Virginia’s former offenders with a second chance, we can reduce recidivism, increase participation in our democratic processes, and build a new Virginia economy.”
The Governor then personally handed three former offenders grant orders, restoring their civil and voting rights at the event.
Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar Stoney also spoke at the event. He said Virginia was traditionally one of the most restrictive states for restoring civil rights, and praised the McAuliffe administration for not only granting the 5,100 ex felons the right to vote, but also for making the process to regaining these rights easier for future ex felons.
“This announcement builds upon the progress our administration made earlier this year in streamlining the restoration of rights processes and will provide more Virginians with pathways to success,” said Stoney.
McAuliffe has been in front of the fight for felons’ rights since May of this year when he moved all drug-related offenses into the non-violent category and reduced the waiting period for more serious offenders to get their rights restored from five to three years.
“We celebrate the Governor’s announcement that more than 5,000 Virginians have had their right to vote restored in 2014, and are encouraged by the new much less burdensome application process for individuals who have been convicted of more serious offenses,” said ACLU of Virginia Staff Attorney and Legislative Counsel Hope Amezquita in a release sent out after the Governor’s announcement.
But Amezquita noted the fight for ex felons rights is far from over, saying “more than 350,000 individuals in Virginia who have completed their sentences are still unable to vote because of the Commonwealth’s felon disenfranchisement law.”
