Constitutional Amendment: Restores the voting Rights of convicted felons upon release from incarceration.
Currently in Virginia, convicted felons may have their Right to vote restored upon completion of time served, parole period ended, fees and restitution paid.
The process to have one’s voting Rights reestablished is not complicated. Upon completion of the above listed items, a person contacts the Secretary of the Commonwealth or goes to the Virginia Restoration of Rights website. An application can be completed online or with the aid of the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office. The process is not complicated or burdensome, in fact, it is quite straight forward.
Further, this amendment does not take into account the nature of a person’s crime. It does not offer any consequences for persons convicted of a felony that never served timed in prison or served limited time in jail and/or prison and then are released on parole. It does not take into account whether or not fines or restitution has been paid.
If you believe individuals should be evaluated on an individual basis prior to restoration of their voting Rights as is the current law, you must vote NO on this amendment.
Additionally, this creates a two-tier system of justice. A person has voting Rights restored but not gun Rights. The government chooses which Rights you can have and which rights you cannot have. If the Commonwealth truly believes a person is fully restored upon release from incarceration, then all Rights should be restored.
