Governor Northam, Restores Civil Rights To Over 69 thousand Virginians , Reforms Restoration of Rights Process

Tuesday, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam restored civil rights to more than 69 thousand Virginians using new eligibility criteria that mirror a proposed change to the Constitution of Virginia that would automatically restore voting rights to individuals upon completion of their sentence. Virginians released from incarceration will now qualify to have their rights restored, even if they remain on community supervision. The change builds on a number of bipartisan reforms that have been made to the restoration of rights process over the last decade. Northam said in a released from his office, too many of Virginia laws were written during a time of open racism and discrimination, and still bear the traces of inequity. With Tuesday’s announcement, Northam has restored civil rights to more than 111 thousand people since taking office.