Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger Restores Voting Rights for 66,000 Felons

Governor Abigail Spanberger announced that more than 66,000 Virginians with past felony convictions have had their voting, jury service, candidacy and notary rights restored. Under Virginia’s constitution felons are permanently disenfranchised unless the governor exercises discretionary authority to restore those civil rights.

The action reverses a slowdown under former Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, who restored fewer than 10,000 rights and reviewed applications individually. It follows a report that the Virginia Department of Elections removed over 6,500 non‑citizens from voter rolls. Spanberger said, "The right to vote is foundational to who we are as Americans," and highlighted an upcoming November referendum that would allow automatic restoration of felon voting rights upon release from incarceration.