Dear John,
Virginia lawmakers voted last week to place a measure on the November ballot this year to automatically restore voting rights to people when they exit prison. Virginia’s felony disenfranchisement law was enshrined in the state constitution 124 years ago with the explicit intent to disenfranchise Black voters. For decades, advocates and other stakeholders have worked to remove this Jim Crow era stain from Virginia’s constitution. If adopted by voters, this landmark ballot measure will eliminate the state’s lifetime felony voting ban, restoring the vote to over 230,000 citizens.
The Sentencing Project worked in coalition with state advocates and formerly disenfranchised activists, like Sheba Williams of Virginia’s Nolef Turns and the Right to Vote Coalition, to educate lawmakers and the public on the harms of felony disenfranchisement. In times like this, we must listen to directly impacted residents like Sheba:
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