The state’s voting rights act is being signed into legislation by a governor whose profession was nearly derailed by a blackface scandal in 2019. Since then, Mr. Northam has been on the forefront of a number of the state’s racial justice initiatives and has enjoyed high approval ratings. He stated on Wednesday that the Virginia legislation ought to turn into a mannequin for the nation.
“At a time when voting rights are beneath assault throughout our nation, Virginia is increasing entry to the poll field, not proscribing it,” Mr. Northam stated. “Our Commonwealth is making a mannequin for the way states can present complete voter protections that strengthen democracy and the integrity of our elections.”
Virginia’s flip away from its longtime restrictions on voting rights started in 2016, when Gov. Terry McAuliffe restored voting rights to 206,000 felons within the state over the objections of the Republican-led Basic Meeting and the state’s Supreme Courtroom. After the courtroom dominated that Mr. McAuliffe didn’t have the authority to revive felon voting rights en masse, however could do so case by case, he despatched 206,000 particular person voting rights restoration letters to felons, who have been despatched envelopes with a Virginia voter software kind and a self-addressed stamped envelope.
“To me it was an ethical, civil rights challenge and this was a racist Jim Crow legislation that wanted to be eradicated,” Mr. McAuliffe stated on Wednesday.
As soon as Democrats took full management of state authorities final 12 months, one of many first payments they handed created one of many longest early-voting intervals within the nation — a 45-day window for no-excuse absentee voting, by which folks can vote remotely with out having to offer a rationale. More than 2.8 million Virginians voted early within the 2020 election, almost 5 instances as many as did so in 2016.
“That is what my ancestors fought laborious for,” stated Charniele Herring, the writer of the early voting invoice, who final 12 months turned the primary Black majority chief within the Virginia Home of Delegates. “My mother and father needed to have that battle within the ’60s, and that is the time to cease that battle and to guard everyone’s proper to vote, irrespective of their political affiliation.”
Republican state legislators all opposed the Virginia Voting Rights Act, arguing that it could inundate native election directors with lawsuits and complicate routine modifications to voting. Glenn Davis, a Republican delegate from Virginia Beach who’s operating for lieutenant governor, stated it was “easy human nature” that Democrats’ efforts to make voting simpler, like eliminating Virginia’s photograph identification requirement, would end in extra fraud.
