Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has moved aggressively to expand voting access for convicted felons, announcing that more than 66,000 Virginians have had their civil rights restored in just the first several months of her administration.
The decision marks one of the largest rights-restoration efforts in recent Virginia history and immediately thrusts the issue back into the center of a heated political debate over election law, criminal justice, and executive authority. With early voting for this year’s midterm elections set to begin in September, the timing of the announcement is already drawing attention from supporters and critics alike.
According to an announcement released by the governor’s office on Saturday, a total of 66,085 Virginians who had previously lost their civil rights following felony convictions have now had those rights reinstated since Spanberger entered office in January.
