Richmond, Va. (Newsradiowrva.com) - The ACLU of Virginia, and the law firm WilmerHale say they are challenging Virginia's law disenfranchising people with a felony conviction in federal court. The two organizations say the disenfranchisement, for any felony conviction, violates the law that readmitted Virginia to the Union following the Civil War.
Brittany Amadi, a partner with WilmerHale, says the readmittance law limited disenfranchisement to just nine felonies (murder, manslaughter, arson, burglary, robbery, rape, sodomy, mayhem, and larceny). The law remains on the books. They are representing three people who have felony convictions not covered by these nine felonies, and whom have not have their rights restored.
Virginia is one of only a few states that does not restore voting rights after a person serves their time for a conviction. Governors, on a bipartisan basis, have recently made restoration more automatic, but Governor Glenn Youngkin changed that, saying the constitution required individual applications.
