As the battle over voting rights becomes even more of a critical issue within the Commonwealth, Senate Joint Resolution 1 seeks to provide more opportunities for reformed citizens to get an opportunity to participate in the legislative process.

Sponsored by Democratic Senator Mamie Locke, SJ 1 is described as, “A person who has been convicted of a felony shall not be entitled to vote during any period of incarceration for such felony conviction, but upon release from incarceration for that felony conviction and without further action required of him such person shall be invested with all political rights, including the right to vote. Currently, in order to be qualified to vote, a person convicted of a felony must have his civil rights restored by the Governor or other appropriate authority.” This primarily impacts Black and brown reformed citizens who are often denied the right to vote. Last week the Virginia NAACP, along with several other organizations, held a virtual summit to discuss the importance of calling SJ 1 to the General Assembly to be passed, similar to last year.

What needs to be done? Citizens are encouraged to contact their legislators and contact them to pass SJ 1, which will put the Right to Vote constitutional amendment on the 2022 ballot and #LetTheVotersDecide on this important amendment. Passing the amendment places the responsibility for this important decision where it should be, with Virginia’s voters during the 2022 elections. Recent polling conducted by the Beacon Research Group showed that 65% of Virginians believe that once a person has served their time, they should have the right to vote. Democracy is stronger when more people are allowed to participate in it.

Visit the link and urge legislators to guarantee the right to vote for reformed citizens across Virginia.