Since a July Supreme Court decision restoring voting rights to former felons, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has restored the right to vote to 79,047 Virginians and a total of 97,007 since the start of his administration. Leading up to the elections last week, 20,889 of the ex-felons restored by the governor had registered to vote.
According to a statement from the governor’s office, “These citizens live in communities across the Commonwealth; they have jobs and families, and pay their taxes. However, for many it was their first time voting or their first time in many years. The governor’s actions were not about partisan politics, but motivated by a belief in second chances and the principal that our society works better when everyone has a voice in our future.”
