Question 3Constitutional amendment · Put on the ballot by lawmakers
Voting rights after prison release
Explain it like I'm 5
A person convicted of a felony would get the right to vote back automatically after leaving prison. Today, it takes the governor's approval.
Yes vote
Automatically restoring voting rights upon release from incarceration instead of requiring individual restoration by the governor.
No vote
Keeping Virginia's current governor-based restoration process for people convicted of felonies.
The question to ask yourself
Should voting rights return automatically when someone leaves prison or only after individual review or additional conditions?
The case for
- Creates one clear rule instead of case-by-case executive decisions.
- Could help people returning to their communities take part in civic life.
- Keeps the voting ban in place during incarceration.
Backed by: Virginia Right to Vote Coalition, ACLU of Virginia, League of Women Voters of Virginia
The case against
- Voting rights would return before probation, parole, or restitution necessarily ends.
- Opponents prefer individual review that considers the offense and a person's circumstances.
- A constitutional rule would be harder to revise than an ordinary restoration policy.
Opposed by: Virginia Voters for Freedom, Inc., Republican Party of Virginia
- Money
- No direct cost or tax effect is estimated in the cited sources.
- Don't be misled
- The claim that incarcerated people would be allowed to vote is misleading because the proposal restores voting rights upon release, not during incarceration.