Graham Moomaw wrote the following in a new article for the Virginia Mercury a “nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization covering Virginia government and policy”. Take a look:
The last three Virginia governors — a Republican and two Democrats — have made it much easier for people convicted of felonies to have their voting rights restored by the governor’s office.
If some lawmakers get their way, felons rejoining society will no longer have to rely on the benevolence of future governors to be able to vote again.
Instead, they’d get their rights back automatically after serving their time. Or, if policymakers choose to add Virginia to the handful of states that allow inmates to vote while incarcerated, they’d never lose the right to begin with.
At this point, those against at least some reforms towards more felon voting rights are ignoring the basic historical facts about the dark origins of the legislation in America. On top of this, by making felon voting illegal they are saying they want a government policy that sends a message that even a lifetime of attempted redemption and good deeds can’t erase a past error, even a small one. The truth is that felons have as much right as any other citizen to cast votes. Denying them this right is discrimination of the first order.
You can also see more on this subject at either the Democracy Chronicles felon voting archive or African-American Voting Rights. Also see our main section on American Democracy and our Voter Access articles focusing more broadly on the ease of voting and the various barriers in the way.
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