What: March to protest the Youngkin administration’s rollback of restoration of rights
When: Saturday, November 4 at 10:30 a.m.
Where: Departs from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 815 E. Grace Street, Richmond, VA 23219
Richmond, Va. – Three days before the 2023 election, on Saturday, November 4 at 10:30 a.m, members of Virginia Organizing will march from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Richmond to the governor’s mansion to protest Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s refusal to restore voting rights to returning citizens according to the process developed by Virginia’s previous governors, as well as the removal of eligible voters from the rolls. The group will be holding their largest gathering of the year at St. Paul’s on that day and expect at least 100 people to join the march.
Duane Edwards, a member of Virginia Organizing’s State Governing Board from Fredericksburg, said, “Governor Youngkin is misusing his power as governor to control who can get their rights back because he doesn’t have a procedure that’s fair to everyone, unlike his three predecessors in office. Automatic restoration is genuinely non-partisan because you don’t look at an applicant’s zip code or name. Youngkin is picking and choosing which Virginians he’s going to allow to move on with their lives.”
“Everyone has a right to vote to hold our elected officials accountable,” said Terry White, a member of the Norfolk Chapter of Virginia Organizing. “It is part of democracy and being a part of a community. I am a returning citizen. My rights were restored by former Governor McAuliffe with the help of Virginia Organizing. People coming out of prison have served their time and just want to put their lives back together: get a job, be with their families, be back as active members in their community. All the previous governors, in a bipartisan way, have improved the process. However, Gov. Youngkin is not doing enough to restore the rights of returning citizens.”
“I got my rights restored nine years ago, and I find it a shame that all the progress we’ve made over the years is being turned back by this administration. Without restoration of rights I would not have become the productive person that I am today,” said Barbara Harris, a member of Virginia Organizing’s State Governing Board and a resident of Franklin.
