She saw voting as a chance for redemption after serving time for assault charges.
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After the Civil War, the Underwood Convention of 1867 granted the right to vote to any man 21 years of age or older.
“I was so hurt”.
Terry McAuliffe signing an executive order in Richmond on April 22, 2016 restoring voting rights to over 200,000 felons.
For now, the right to vote for these felons is canceled, but the governor says he will individually restore the rights to 13,000 felons who have had their rights restored and registered to vote. “A lot of them are hearing the message that they don’t belong, they don’t deserve a voice”.
McAuliffe didn’t mince words about the ruling.
So it may go for Virginia’s former felons. That means the political impact of the move – which Republicans have slammed as a bid by McAuliffe to help his ally Hillary Clinton this November in a crucial swing state – may end up being limited. For many ex-convicts trying to reenter society, voter-registration paperwork is not a top priority, activists say.
McAuliffe has framed his decision as a civil rights achievement, saying he is removing the last vestiges of Jim Crow-era laws that disenfranchised African American voters.
Fortunately for felons in Virginia, this doesn’t mean they can’t get their voting rights back.
Early on Tuesday, local registrars received instructions from the Virginia Department of Elections to suspend the act of processing felon voting applications.
“We’re not denying them, but we’re not approving them”, said Danville General Registrar Peggy Petty. “It’s heartbreaking to me”.
Tim Kaine’s wife has resigned as Virginia’s Secretary of Education.
Convicted felons in Virginia are prevented from voting by the state’s constitution, which states “that no person who has been convicted of a felony shall be qualified to vote unless his civil rights have been restored by the Governor or other appropriate authority”. An April executive order by Gov. Terry McAuliffe restored rights for ex-felons who had completed their sentences and any parole or probation.
The governor’s office points out that 40 other states allow a straight-forward process for felons who have paid their debt to society when it comes to their voting rights.
NBC12 spoke to one man who served his time and is hoping this action will be taken. “I understand I made a mistake, but I did my time and I should have been forgiven for that”.
“They will be handled at the state level”, Petty said.
“We are reserving all legal options at this point, but we need to see what he is going to do”, said Bell, who is running for attorney general.
“He said it publicly that it should be a crime to be gay in Virginian”, he said.
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“Ultimately, we don’t know how many people will be affected, and how many people are going to be able to register to vote”, Nguyen said.
