Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced on Friday that her administration “restored the right to vote for 66,085 Virginians who were formerly incarcerated.”

“Virginia is one of three states with a constitution that permanently disenfranchises citizens with past felony convictions — leaving restoration of rights entirely to the Governor’s discretion. The civil rights restored by Governor Spanberger include the right to vote, serve on a jury, run for public office, and become a notary public,” a press release from Spanberger’s office read.

“Until 2022, Virginia Governors of both parties worked to streamline the restoration of rights for Virginians. While Governor Youngkin inherited a streamlined system, his administration gutted that process. Upon taking office, the Spanberger Administration reestablished processes to both review applications and proactively identify — and restore the rights of — Virginians who have lost their right to vote,” it continued.

Virginia Mercury shared further:

Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell began expanding restorations, a policy later accelerated by Democratic Govs. Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam. McAuliffe restored the rights to more than 173,000 people during his term, while Northam restored the rights to more than 126,000.

But in 2016, the Supreme Court of Virginia struck down executive orders from McAuliffe that sought to broadly restore civil rights to approximately 206,000 people who had completed their prison sentences and supervised release. The court ruled that governors must consider each case individually rather than issue blanket restorations.

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Youngkin later eliminated the state’s streamlined process, requiring people with felony convictions to apply individually to regain their rights.

Although his administration said every application would receive an individualized review, Democrats and voting rights advocates criticized the pace of restorations and the lack of publicly disclosed criteria.

Spanberger’s administration said it has restored both the application review process and proactive outreach to identify eligible Virginians. Officials also removed questions added during the Youngkin era that they described as “unnecessary.”

Secretary of the Commonwealth Candi Mundon King said her office reviews every restoration individually while working with law enforcement agencies to verify eligibility.

“The right to vote is foundational to who we are as Americans. As a Member of Congress, as a candidate for Governor, and in the months since I took office, I have heard from many Virginians who have shared their personal stories of redemption with me — and heartfelt reflections of the moment their voting rights were restored by previous Governors,” said Spanberger.

“I’m proud that — after contending with my predecessor’s efforts to deny Virginians their fundamental rights — we have restored the rights of more than 66,000 Virginians who have served their time. These Virginians deserve the right to use their vote, make their voices heard, and be recognized as contributing citizens to our Commonwealth and country,” she added.

WUSA9 noted:

According to non-profit organization The Sentencing Project, that reversal led to a year-over-year decline in rights restorations from 2022 to 2025. Virginia is one of only three states whose constitutions permanently bar former felons from voting, along with Kentucky and Mississippi.

This November, Virginians will consider a ballot measure which would automatically restore those rights without the need for gubernatorial approval. Governor Spanberger calls the current law “a shameful relic of our Jim Crow past.”

 

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