Right to Vote - New League Study
L. Rice | Published on 6/9/2023
The LWV of Virginia has adopted a new study addressing universal suffrage as expressed in Senator Locke’s 2021 bill SJ272 which originally called for the “universal right to vote.” That bill, which would have removed the felony conviction and mentally incompetent stipulations in Section 1, Article II of the Virginia Constitution, also added a “fundamental right to vote” clause to the Section 1 title as well as the body of the first paragraph.
Background: Individuals convicted of a felony who did not have their rights automatically restored under the previous practice by Governor Northam must now apply to the governor to have their rights restored on an individual basis. This change in policy by Governor Youngkin makes Virginia the only state in the nation that permanently disenfranchises all people with felony convictions, unless the government approves individual rights restoration. (Brennan Center for Justice).
Please reach out to Deb Wake, LWV-VA study leader, if you are willing to participate. Meetings of study group will be via Zoom, so no travel is necessary. Contact Deb Wake