ROANOKE, Va. – Lawmakers in Richmond are considering dueling proposals that aim to restore voting rights to felons.
The House of Delegates voted to automatically restore rights upon release while the Senate of Virginia approved a measure that would end felon disenfranchisement altogether.
Deb Wake, the president of the League of Women Voters of Virginia and advocate for voting rights, said she agrees more with the Senate’s proposal as it would help fight against systemic racism that has targeted Black people for years.
“We think that it is more equitable to preserve the right to vote and not to take it away,” said Wake. “Not to have to restore it.”
Lawmakers will have to choose which resolution they want to pursue.