See below for a press release from the VA Senate Democrats, who a few minutes ago “took a significant step toward protecting Virginians by passing three constitutional amendments that uphold the right to reproductive freedom, the right to vote for returning citizens, and marriage equality.” Also, check out the video, below, of anti-reproductive-freedom hardliner Lt. Governor Winsome Sears leaping to the defense of Mitch McConnell, after Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D) *correctly* stated that McConnell *stole* a US Supreme Court seat by refusing to take up then-President Barack Obama’s 100% lawful nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. In the end, her ruling that Surovell was out of order was overruled on a party-line vote, as well it should have been. Just another example of why Sears has no business being governor of Virginia.
P.S. So now, to get these in Virginia’s constitution, we need to: a) make sure that Democrats keep control of the House of Delegates in elections this November; b) have the Senate and House of Delegates pass these amendments *again* in the 2026 General Assembly session; c) have the voters approve these amendments in November 2026. All of those things are doable, but we’ve got to make sure they happen and not take anything for granted, of course…
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Senate Democratic Caucus Passes Constitutional Amendments to Protect Reproductive Freedom, Voting Rights, and Marriage Equality Across the Commonwealth
Richmond, V.A. — Today, on the floor of the Senate of Virginia, Senate Democrats took a significant step toward protecting Virginians by passing three constitutional amendments that uphold the right to reproductive freedom, the right to vote for returning citizens, and marriage equality.
Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell said “The passage of three constitutional amendments today by the Senate are a major milestone towards recognizing the fundamental rights of all Virginians. Senate Democrats ran on codifying Roe v. Wade, affirming marriage equality and excising Jim Crow from the Constitution of Virginia and today we delivered. This starts the process of giving Virginia voters a chance to affirm cherished rights.”
Senate Joint Resolution 247 (SJ 247) guarantees the fundamental right to reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy in Virginia. It secures individuals’ ability to make personal reproductive health decisions without government interference.
“This is a victory for every woman and girl in the Commonwealth who believes in the right to make personal healthcare decisions without government interference. By protecting reproductive freedom in our constitution, we are standing up for the rights, health, and autonomy of Virginians. This amendment ensures that individuals, not politicians, are in control of these deeply personal decisions, reflecting the values of freedom that we hold dear,” said Senator Jennifer Boysko.
Senate Joint Resolution 248 (SJ 248) clarifies voter qualifications in Virginia, ensuring that all eligible citizens are fully protected under the state constitution.
Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Mamie E. Locke stated, “This amendment is about ensuring that every eligible Virginian has their voice heard at the ballot box. Our democracy is strongest when everyone participates, and this measure ensures that no Virginian is unjustly excluded from the electoral process. By reinforcing these protections in our constitution, we are safeguarding the fundamental rights of our citizens and strengthening the integrity of our democracy.”
Senate Joint Resolution 249 (SJ 249) affirms marriage as a union between two individuals, regardless of gender, sex, religion, or other factors. It reflects Virginia’s commitment to marriage equality and upholds fairness, equality, and the protection of individual rights.
“Senate Democrats stand for fairness and equality, and this amendment reflects those values. By affirming the right of all Virginians to marry the person they love, regardless of gender, sex, or race, we are ensuring that every constituent in our Commonwealth is treated with dignity and respect,” said Senator Adam Ebbin. “This is about respecting the law of the land, recognizing the realities of the 21st century, and creating a more inclusive Virginia for future generations to follow.”
From Progress Virginia:
In A Victory for Civil Rights, Three Constitutional Amendments Pass Virginia Senate
Richmond– Today, the Virginia Senate passed three constitutional amendments designed to protect the most fundamental rights of Virginians: the right to vote, the right to marry, and the right to reproductive freedom. Each of the amendments will cross over and be voted on again by the House of Delegates.
SJ 247, sponsored by Senator Jennifer Boysko, is a constitutional amendment that would protect the full spectrum of reproductive health care, including abortion, contraception, and fertility care in Virginia. It passed out the Senate on a vote of 21-19.
“We’re thrilled to see the Senate pass SJ 247, which is already supported by 61% of our community,” said LaTwyla Mathias, Executive Director at Progress Virginia. “ We trust that pregnant people can make the best decisions about their bodies and their families, and we trust healthcare providers to provide the highest standard of care. Politicians in Richmond with no medical training have no business making these extremely intimate and personal decisions for us, and we believe our constitution needs to protect these basic liberties. We look forward to seeing this amendment again next year and voting on it at the ballot box in November 2026.”
SJ 248, a constitutional amendment that automatically restores the right to vote for returning citizens who have been impacted by the criminal justice system, sponsored by Senator Mamie Locke, passed out of the Senate on a vote of 21-18.
“We’re excited to see the Senate pass SJ 248 which would respect the fundamental rights and dignity of returning citizens,” said Mathias. “Most of the states in this country recognize that when someone has paid their debt to society, they return to the community as full citizens, which includes the right to make their voices heard at the ballot box. Virginia has been a throwback for too many years; our current process is about political gamesmanship and partisan point-scoring far more than it is about enfranchising returning citizens. Denying entire classes of citizens the right to vote is a racist vestige of Jim Crow-era laws, and Virginia legislators need to leave this practice in the past.”
SJ249, sponsored by Senator Adam Ebbin, both strikes a 2006 amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman from Virginia’s constitution and also affirmatively protects the right of same-sex couples to marry and have their marriages recognized by the Commonwealth. The amendment passed out the Senate on a vote of 24-15.
“The Marshall-Newman amendment from 2006 which denied the right of same-sex couples to marry has been a stain on Virginia’s constitution for too long,” said Mathias. “We need to erase this shameful part of our history, align our constitution with the law of the land, and at long last, affirmatively protect the right of everyone to marry the person they love. We will work hard to make sure all three of these amendments pass out of the General Assembly and are put before the voters in 2026.”
Background:
SJ247: Reproductive Freedom
- Nearly 7 in 10 Virginians believe that abortion care should remain safe, legal and accessible
- Status of state-by-state abortion laws in the US
- The number of abortions since the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health decision that overturned Roe vs. Wade has increased over pre-Dobbs levels, but the geographic distribution has shifted heavily to non-ban states.
- One in seven women say that they know someone who has had difficulty accessing an abortion since the Dobbs decision two years ago
SJ248: Restoration of voting rights
- Virginia is one of the only three states that still permanently take away people’s right to vote upon a felony conviction unless the governor restores it on an individual basis.
- In Virginia, 20% of the adult population is Black, yet 47.4% of all arrests and 60.8% of state prison inmates are Black.
- One in five Black Virginians cannot vote because of felony disenfranchisement, even though Black people make up only about 20% of Virginia’s population.
- After Governor McAuliffe restored the voting rights of nearly 200,000 returning citizens, 40,000 of them registered to vote. Of those who had their right to vote restored, 46% were Black.
SJ249: The Right to Marry
- The referendum that passed a constitutional amendment limiting marriage to one and one woman passed in 2006 by a margin of https://progressva.actionkit.
com/go/45952?t=15&akid=27806% 2E1836%2ET2fW5l(2006)”>57%-42% . - In 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States released its decision in Obergefell v. Hodges which granted same-sex couples the right to marry, rendering the Virginia constitutional amendment useless. In December 2022, President Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act, which further cemented the legality of same-sex marriage in all 50 states.
- Per the American Community Survey, in 2022, there were 16,603 married same-sex couples in Virginia.
- 6% of Virginians identify as LGBTQ, the highest rate in the Southeast
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