RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia Democrats are moving forward with their plan to amend the state constitution to automatically restore the rights of convicted felons upon their release from prison.
Virginia is currently the only state that permanently prevents all convicted felons from voting unless they get their rights restored by the governor.
“The right to vote is fundamental and the amendment ensures that, if a person has served their time, they deserve to have their right to participate in democracy restored,” said Delegate Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-Alexandria).
Virginia’s process of restoring rights to convicted felons has come under intense scrutiny in recent years, as Governor Glenn Youngkin’s process has differed from previous governors.
When he took office, Youngkin decided to review each case individually, while several of his predecessors decided to automatically restore the rights of certain non-violent felons.
“If you want a second chance, it’s not too much to require that you ask for that second chance,” Delegate Paul Milde (R-Stafford) said.
On Wednesday, a House committee advanced a proposed constitutional amendment along party lines that would make the automatic restoration of rights permanent.
“The current system has no transparency and changes every four years, so nobody knows what steps they need to take to get their rights restored,” said Bennett-Parker.
Republicans like Milde, who himself had his rights restored after being convicted of a felony drug charge in the 1980s, said the current process ensures that citizens have properly rehabilitated themselves before having their rights restored.
“It’s not asking too much to require a person who has gone down the wrong path previously to demonstrate that they have had a genuine change of heart,” said Milde.
The proposed amendment will go to the full House of Delegates for their consideration when they meet in January.