RICHMOND, Va. — Thousands of Virginians will not be voting in the congressional midterm elections on Tuesday, not because they’re not interested in politics, but because they lost their voting rights after a felony conviction. The Commonwealth is one of only four states that has permanently denied voting rights in such cases.
In 1980, 2.6 percent of Virginians were affected by felony disenfranchisement. By 2016, that number had grown to 7.8 percent, according to the Sentencing Project, a nonprofit organization focused on criminal justice reform. That comes out to more than 500,000 voters.
Christopher Green, 58, lost his voting rights in 1998 when he was convicted of a felony in Virginia.
“I found out I was disenfranchised for life because of it,” Green said. “Even if I had wanted to vote … I wouldn’t have been able to.”
After spending half his life in and out of prisons, Green was last released in 2013. He made his way to Richmond, where he became aware of a voting rights restoration movement. In 2016, Green’s civil right to vote was restored.
“I had seen a message for where my life was headed and that was to serve other people,” Green said. “The message was so clear.”
Continue reading at https://wtvr.com/2018/11/01/felony-disenfranchisement-virginia/