Virginia Voting Rights Restoration Letters Sent to Deceased Individuals

<p>Deceased Virginians with felony convictions have reportedly received voting-rights restoration letters from Governor Abigail Spanberger, who announced in July that she had restored voting rights to 66,000 individuals with felony convictions.</p><p>The notices are being sent as Virginia implements a federal court ruling that limits the felony convictions that can lead to disenfranchisement. Voters will also decide this fall whether to amend the state constitution to automatically restore voting rights upon release from incarceration.</p><p>Virginia Beach attorney Tim Anderson stated that historically, individuals convicted of a felony lose their voting rights and must petition the governor for restoration. He expressed concern that either the state is not properly vetting recipients of the restoration notifications or the vetting process is insufficient to identify deceased individuals.</p><p>Anderson shared posts showing letters sent to families of deceased individuals, questioning whether a relative might attempt to register a deceased person to vote. He noted that the letters imply that the governor's office is restoring civil rights without individual petitions from the deceased.</p><p>Virginia resident Howard "Skip" Lambert posted a restoration notice addressed to his daughter, who passed away in 2024 and had a felony conviction. He expressed concern about the timing of the letter, which arrived as early voting began, despite being dated July 1.</p><p>Lambert confirmed the authenticity of the documents and mentioned that his daughter had voted in a previous election after her rights were restored. He referenced a past attempt by former Democratic Governor Terence McAuliffe to restore voting rights to a large number of individuals, which was ruled unconstitutional by the Virginia Supreme Court.</p><p>Another individual, Peggie Young, also received a similar letter addressed to a deceased friend, expressing confusion about the implications for voter fraud.</p><p>The federal case that led to these changes began in 2023 when disenfranchised Virginians sued then-Governor Glenn Youngkin and other officials, arguing that Virginia’s blanket felony ban conflicted with the federal Virginia Readmission Act of 1870. U.S. District Judge John Gibney Jr. ruled that Virginia could only disenfranchise individuals for 11 common-law felonies recognized in 1870, ultimately narrowing disenfranchisement to murder and manslaughter.</p><p>The Department of Elections is notifying approximately 235,000 Virginians whose convictions no longer disqualify them from voting, which is separate from the restoration orders issued by Spanberger.</p><p>Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger's office and the Department of Elections for comment.</p>