FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, January 13, 2024
Contact: Kelsey Cowger, kelsey@progressva.org, 434-484-2795
Virginia Right to Vote Coalition Will Work to Amend Virginia’s Constitution to Protect Voting Rights
RICHMOND, Va. – Today multiple Virginia organizations announced they are collectively forming the Virginia Right to Vote Coalition to engage in a multi-year effort to enshrine automatic restoration of rights into Virginia’s constitution.
Comprised of multiple state-based and national organizations, the Right to Vote Coalition represents voting rights, criminal legal reform, as well as directly-impacted Virginians, educational institutions, and re-entry organizations. The coalition’s goal is to amend Virginia’s constitution to include a clear, consistent and fair re-enfranchisement rule for Virginia citizens by 2026.
Like the majority of Virginians, coalition members believe all qualified citizens should have access to the ballot, including those who have served their time for felony convictions and people with disabilities. Representative democracy depends on all of us being represented at the ballot box.
But Virginia is an outlier: the Commonwealth is the only state in the nation that permanently and automatically bans anyone with a felony conviction from voting, and then requires them to individually petition the governor to get their voting rights restored.
The constitutional amendment this coalition is advancing would align Virginia with the rest of the country and eliminate the legacy of the Confederacy that is reflected in Virginia’s current disenfranchisement of people with felony convictions. Nationally, 1 in 19 eligible Black voters is disenfranchised – in Virginia, 1 in 10 Black adults are disenfranchised. That’s more than twice as high a rate as the rest of the country, and one of the highest rates in the whole nation.
A voting rights constitutional amendment will put the right to vote out of reach of individual governors, parties, or partisan actors by removing the governor’s right to handpick his voters through voting rights restoration. The amendment will guarantee that no matter who is in office, all citizens living in their communities have access to the ballot box, making the right to vote exactly what it should be: nonpartisan.
A voting rights constitutional amendment will likewise protect Virginians with disabilities, who currently lose their civil rights, including the right to vote, if they are placed in the care of a plenary (full) guardian. To get it back, people with disabilities commonly have to prove to Virginian officials that they want to vote by answering a long, subjective series of questions no one else has to answer.
No one should permanently lose their right to vote. The Right to Vote Coalition is committed to making good on Virginia’s promise to people with felony convictions that serving your time means earning a second chance, including the right to vote, and to making sure that people with disabilities don’t face barriers that other voters don’t have to face. This coalition will work to correct Virginia’s current, flawed voting rights landscape by putting a voting rights constitutional amendment on the ballot for Virginians to vote on at the soonest possible opportunity: November 2026.
“Felony disenfranchisement has stained Virginia’s constitution for well over a century,” said Sheba Williams, Founder and Executive Director of Nolef Turns Inc. “There needs to be a process that is clear, consistent and transparent for every individual to regain their voting rights that does not rest in the hands of one individual governor. Every eligible individual should be able to access the right to vote in order to participate in democracy that affects every aspect of their lives.”
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Right to Vote Coalition Members
About the ACLU of Virginia: The ACLU of Virginia promotes civil liberties and civil rights for everyone in the Commonwealth through public education, litigation, and advocacy with the goal of securing freedom and equality for all. For more information on the ACLU of Virginia go to www.acluva.org.
About Fair Elections Center: Fair Elections Center is a non-partisan, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to safeguarding the future of our democracy through innovative efforts focused on voting rights and civic engagement. For nearly two decades, we have been using advocacy, litigation, organizing, education, and technology to protect and expand the right to vote, understanding the particular impact on disenfranchised, underrepresented, and marginalized communities. For more information, visit www.fairelectionscenter.org
About Nolef Turns Inc: Nolef Turns Inc. was established to build a network of resources for individuals with court and justice involvement to thrive post-conviction. Our mission is to reduce recidivism by supporting and advocating alongside those with court and justice involvement. For more information, visit www.nolefturns.org.
About Progress Virginia: At Progress Virginia, we drive powerful, values-based narratives to uplift and amplify grassroots voices through innovative digital communications and earned media strategies. We build progressive power alongside marginalized communities to tear down systems of white supremacy, advocate for equitable policies, and ensure leaders reflect the communities they serve.
About Virginia Civic Engagement Table (VCET): VCET strengthens and connects Virginia’s progressive nonprofit organizations and activists and acts as a hub for the larger progressive community envisions a multi-racial democracy where the full diversity of the Commonwealth is actively participating, representing, and transforming our democracy. Where white supremacy is being actively dismantled and people of color, working families, and impacted communities are thriving in a just economy and leading healthy lives. https://engageva.org/
About the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP): VICPP advocates economic, racial, and social justice in Virginia’s policies and practices by uniting advocates and driving change. A non-partisan coalition of more than 700 faith communities, VICPP is the largest advocacy voice for the interfaith community in Virginia. For more information, visit www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org
About the Virginia League of Conservation Voters: Virginia LCV envisions an equitable and just Virginia, where all communities enjoy clean air and water, open space, a liveable climate, and a democracy that works for all Virginians. For more information, visit www.valcv.org.
Virginia League of Women Voters: The League of Women Voters of Virginia formed November 10, 1920 out of the suffrage movement. The League encourages informed and active participation in government to increase understanding of major public policy issues and to influence public policy through education and advocacy. https://my.lwv.org/virginia
About Virginia Organizing: Virginia Organizing is a non-partisan statewide grassroots organization dedicated to challenging injustice by empowering people in local communities to address issues that affect the quality of their lives. Virginia Organizing especially encourages the participation of those who have traditionally had little or no voice in our society. By building relationships with individuals and groups throughout the state, Virginia Organizing strives to get them to work together, democratically and non-violently, for change. https://virginia-organizing.org/
About the Virginia NAACP: Founded in 1935, the NAACP Virginia State Conference (Virginia NAACP) is the oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization in the Commonwealth, overseeing over 100 NAACP branches, youth councils, and college chapters. The Virginia NAACP is focused on being the preeminent voice of Black Virginians and advocating for policies and programs to benefit Blacks and people of color. For more information, visit www.NAACPVA.org.
About UpVote Virginia: UpVote Virginia is a nonpartisan democracy reform organization that believes civic engagement doesn’t end just because an election is over. We focus on issues related to making our elections stronger and more equitable. Our current flagship policy priority is implementing ranked choice voting in partisan primaries and local elections. For more information, visit www.upvoteva.org
