Virginia has restored voting rights to tens of thousands of people. For many Black Virginians, this is bigger than simple politics. It’s personal.
In one of the largest voting rights restorations in the state’s history, Gov. Abigail Spanberger has restored voting rights to more than 66,000 Virginians with past felony convictions, instantly making them eligible to vote, serve on juries, run for public office and participate more fully in civic life, according to an announcement from the governor’s office.
The announcement is particularly important to Black Virginians, who have long carried the heaviest burden of felony disenfranchisement.
Virginia’s policy didn’t happen by accident. Spanberger directly went after former Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s revival of lifetime voting back in 2023, according to Bolts Magazine. Then, the Republican leader reissued the state’s lifetime voting ban for people with felony convictions, which dates back to the 1902 Constitution. The Jim Crow-era document had the explicit goal of shrinking Black political power. More than a century later, those policies continue to hit Black communities hardest.
Youngkin’s choice made Virginia the only state where someone convicted of a felony is barred from voting forever. Only clemency granted by the governor could restore one’s rights.
Now, Spanberger’s move represents a sharp shift from the previous administration. Her administration says it reviewed eligible cases and restored rights in bulk rather than requiring many individuals to navigate a lengthy process.
“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,” she said in a statement. “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.”
source: For Decades, a Jim Crow Era-Law Disenfranchised Black Virginians. Now, 66,000 People Can Vote Again.
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