“We’re certainly looking into that possibility and recognizing that there has been a focus on a number of cases where that appears to be the case. We are digging into it,” Gov. Abigail Spanberger told 8News Friday at an event in Henrico County.
Spanberger was asked about social media posts alleging her administration restored the rights of deceased people as part of restoring the rights of convicted felons upon their release.
“The reality of the challenge exists in all of the different databases where there might be individuals who have been listed as someone who had their rights taken because of their felony conviction, and those same databases would not necessarily have the reporting that that person had passed away,” she said.
People who have had their rights restored are not automatically registered to vote, and it is a felony for anyone to vote on behalf of someone else, Spanberger said.
State Sen. Glen Sturtevant, R-Colonial Heights, said the reports do not instill confidence and called for an independent audit.
A federal judge ruled earlier this year that Virginia was wrongfully stripping many convicted felons of their voting rights for decades. A proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot would make rights restoration automatic upon release.
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