Youngkin Administration’s Disenfranchisement of Thousands of Virginians Is Both Unprecedented and Unconstitutional

RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia Department of Elections released its Annual List Maintenance Report last week detailing the cancellation of the voting rights of 17,368 Virginians convicted of a new felony after their voting rights had been restored.

In response to the disclosure, ACLU of Virginia Policy and Advocacy Strategist Shawn Weneta released the following statement:

“We are actively monitoring the troubling reports we’ve received from Virginians that their voting rights were restored by past governors – both Republican and Democrat – only to be revoked again on the basis of technical probation violations. That’s unprecedented and unconstitutional.

“Even worse, multiple Virginians informed us that they received no notice from the Youngkin administration or the Board of Elections of the loss of their voting rights. Just weeks away from an election that the whole country is watching is not the time to prevent people from casting a ballot when they show up to the polls.

“The Virginia Constitution is very clear: once someone’s right to vote has been restored, a technical probation violation is not grounds to take it away again. The Youngkin administration shouldn’t be in the business of disenfranchising Virginians, and it shouldn’t be in the business of keeping voters in the dark. No administration should get to pick and choose who gets to vote, and that includes this one.”