Just a reminder that next Friday, you can start voting not only for the Democrats running in your US House districts, plus of course Sen. Mark Warner, but also – VERY IMPORTANTLY! – for the three constitutional amendments on the ballot this year in Virginia. Those amendments are, of course:
“Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) protect the freedom to make personal decisions about prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion, miscarriage management, and fertility care; (ii) protect doctors, nurses, and patients from being punished for these decisions; and (iii) allow for restrictions on access to abortion during the third trimester of pregnancy except when the patient’s health is at risk or the pregnancy cannot survive?”
“Question: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) remove the ban on same-sex marriage; (ii) affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race; and (iii) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law?”
“Question: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended (i) to provide for the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth, (ii) to revise the qualifications of voters so that a person convicted of a felony is not entitled to vote during his period of incarceration but is automatically invested with the right to vote upon release from incarceration, and (iii) to update the existing prohibition on voting by persons found to be mentally incompetent to instead apply to persons who have been found to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting?”
On amendment #3, check out the following press release from the YES ON #3 campaign, with video and highlights from the press conference earlier this week, in which State Senator Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-Alexandria) and Delegate Kirk McPike (D-Alexandria) joined advocates in explaining the importance of passing this amendment: as Del. McPike put it, “We have the chance to expand our democracy, to strengthen our representational government, and to show the way forward for our troubled country by repealing the Jim Crow-era provisions of Virginia law, provisions that were designed to prevent communities of color from fully participating in our democracy, and we do that by voting yes on Question 3.” Let’s do it!
Senator Bennett-Parker and Delegate McPike Join Virginians for the Right to Vote in Alexandria to Call for Virginians to Vote “Yes on #3” This November
Sakina Bennett of New Virginia Majority emcees a press conference calling on Virginians to vote Yes on Question 3, the Right to Vote Amendment, by Nov. 3. Virginians for the Right to Vote held the event on Sept. 8 in Alexandria.
In case you missed it, Sen. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-Alexandria) and Delegate Kirk McPike (D-Alexandria) joined Virginians for the Right to Vote, elected leaders, advocates, and impacted community members at a Sept. 8 press conference in Alexandria to call for Virginians to vote Yes on the Right to Vote Amendment (Ballot Question #3) by November 3.
If passed, the amendment would enshrine the right to vote for all eligible voters in Virginia’s constitution and would create a fair process to automatically restore the right to vote for Virginians who have completed felony sentences and returned to their communities.
Senator Bennett-Parker
“We know what is happening just across the river from here. We’ve seen the gutting of the Voting Rights Act and the advancing of the SAVE Act, which would make it harder for married women who have changed their last names, like me, to vote,” said Senator Bennett-Parker. “That is why, at the state level, we must do everything we can to ensure that we’re protecting our right to vote from current and future political interference. And passing this amendment is a key part of that.”
Delegate McPike
“In Virginia, we have the opportunity to do better,” said Delegate McPike. “We have the chance to expand our democracy, to strengthen our representational government, and to show the way forward for our troubled country by repealing the Jim Crow-era provisions of Virginia law, provisions that were designed to prevent communities of color from fully participating in our democracy, and we do that by voting yes on Question 3.”
Sheba Williams of Nolef Turns
“Question 3 fixes the problem of the discrepancies in how processes are made from administration to administration, and sometimes month to month, day to day, the process may change. We need a consistent process that is not abridged by one individual and does not rely on grace and mercy of one politician,” said Sheba Williams, Founder and Executive Director of Nolef Turns. “Question 3 takes the power away from one politician and ensures that everyone, every eligible voter in the state of Virginia, has a clear, automatic, and fair process for getting our voting rights back.”
Kelvin Manurs holds the letter from then-Secretary of the Commonwealth Kelly Thomasson informing him his rights had been restored by Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
“I will always remember getting this paper signed by Kelly Thomasson, the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia. This paper said that my voting rights had been restored, and that felt like shackles once again have been removed,” said Kelvin Manurs, Founder of Arm & Arm. “We got to vote yes in November because it takes us all. We are talking about inclusion. We are talking about all of us coming together. It is necessary for us to support this democracy.”
Election Day is Nov. 3. Early voting begins Sept. 18.
