The McDonnell administration has restored the civil rights of 6,874 non-violent felons. That’s an all-time high for a Virginia gubernatorial administration, claims a statement from the Governor’s Office. But there is more work to be done, so Governor Bob McDonnell will include money in his proposed budget next year to supplement the work of six staffers already employed by the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office. Said McDonnell:
When an individual has done their time, and paid their fines, costs, and other obligations, they deserve the opportunity to rejoin our democracy in full. That is why we moved 90 days ago to put in place Virginia’s first-ever automatic, individualized, restoration of rights process. I want every individual who is qualified to participate in this process, and gain back one of their most sacred rights: the right to vote. … In the past few months we’ve added staff and resources to handle an increase in demand for rights restoration. … I remain fully supportive of passage of a constitutional amendment to provide for the automatic restoration of rights for non-violent felons.
These reforms are long overdue. Interesting how it’s a Republican governor who is making this happen. But that doesn’t stop Democrats from foaming at the mouth over “voter suppression.” The latest is a lawsuit filed by the Democratic Party of Virginia against McDonnell, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and the state elections board claiming that tens of thousands of voters are at risk of being disenfranchised. The offense? Sharing lists with registrars of voters registered to vote in two or more different states! That lawsuit follows on the heels of the voter ID law.
It’s all part of the vile and despicable Democratic Party game plan to tar Republicans as racist on the grounds that the “voter suppression” laws target minorities, especially blacks. In the real world, Bob McDonnell is doing more to help restore black voting rights than any Democratic governor in a generation, perhaps ever.
— JAB
