Category Archives: felon voting

First Circuit, Relying on Evenwel, Rejects “Prison Gerrymandering” Claim

September 21, 2016, 3:47 pmfelon voting, redistrictingRick Hasen

You can find the unanimous 1st Circuit opinion at this link. Here is a statement from Demos. From the opinion: It is true that Evenwel did not decide the precise question before us. Nevertheless, we hold that its methodology … Continue reading

“BREAKING: Virginia Supreme Court slaps down Republicans’ attempt to block ex-felons from voting”

September 15, 2016, 12:58 pmfelon votingRick Hasen

Think Progress: The Virginia Supreme Court rejected a petition from Republican leaders on Thursday that sought to hold Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) in contemptfor restoring the voting rights of tens of thousands of ex-offenders ahead of the 2016… Continue reading

“Virginia Republicans’ essentially racist project”

September 7, 2016, 7:31 amfelon votingRick Hasen

Washington Post editorial: In just four states are felons permanently barred from voting absent action by the governor. And in one of them, Virginia, lawmakers are considering an even more restrictive regime that would forever foreclose the possibility of redemption… Continue reading

“Republican leader of Va. Senate advances felon voting plan of his own”

September 1, 2016, 7:25 pmfelon votingRick Hasen

WaPo: A Republican state senator who sued Gov. Terry McAuliffe over the governor’s efforts to restore voting rights to felons filed legislation Thursday to automatically grant political rights to certain nonviolent criminals. Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr.… Continue reading

“Republicans file contempt motion against McAuliffe over felon rights restoration”

August 31, 2016, 7:31 pmfelon voting, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Richmond Times-Dispatch: GOP leaders announced Wednesday that they want the Supreme Court of Virginia to consider holding McAuliffe in contempt for his efforts to restore felons’ political rights en masse despite the court’s July 22 opinion that struck down the… Continue reading

“Virginia Restores Right to Vote to Thousands of Ex-Felons”

August 22, 2016, 4:02 pmfelon votingRick Hasen

Zack Roth for NBC News.

“Virginia’s McAuliffe to announce restoration of voting rights to 13,000 felons”

August 21, 2016, 1:12 pmfelon votingRick Hasen

AP: At noon Monday, it said, he will appear at the Civil Rights Memorial on Capitol Square “to make major restoration of rights announcement.” A McAuliffe spokeswoman, Christina Nuckols, declined to provide more information. McAuliffe will announce that he… Continue reading

“McAuliffe taking a slower approach to rights restoration in Virginia”

August 8, 2016, 8:14 pmfelon votingRick Hasen

WaPo: Armed with an autopen, Gov. Terry McAuliffe said two weeks ago that he had all he needed to swiftly but individually restore voting rights to more than 200,000 felons. But McAuliffe (D) has since decided that he needs… Continue reading

For a Virginia Governor, Writer’s Cramp and Advil

July 23, 2016, 10:44 amfelon votingRick Hasen

Richmond Times-Disptach: In response, McAuliffe said he will “expeditiously” sign roughly 13,000 individual rights restoration orders for people who have already registered to vote. He said he’ll continue until rights are restored for all 200,000 people affected by the original… Continue reading

Breaking: VA Supreme Court on 4-3 Vote, Reverses Gov. McAuliffe’s Blanket Felon Reenfranchisement Order

July 22, 2016, 2:59 pmelection administration, felon voting, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

You can find the 63 pages of opinions here. This is a big blow both politically to Democrats (who would have gotten a boost from the restoration of voting rights to felons who had secured their sentences) as well… Continue reading

“Virginia Needs to Fix Its Racist Voting Law”

July 19, 2016, 11:58 amfelon voting, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Dale Ho NYT oped: THE Virginia Supreme Court will hear arguments on Tuesday in a lawsuit that aims to strip the right to vote from more than 206,000 people, including one in five African-American adults in the state. If state… Continue reading

“Virginia high court considers whether McAuliffe erred in restoring felons’ voting rights”

July 19, 2016, 9:13 amfelon votingRick Hasen

WaPo: It was not clear which way the seven justices would rule. Much of the arguments were spent focused on whether the GOP legislative leaders and voters could even challenge the restoration of voter rights in court.

“These Virginians Just Got Their Voting Rights Back. Republicans Are Trying To Take Them Away Again.”

July 19, 2016, 8:43 amfelon voting, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Think Progress: But Virginia Republicans are taking the state to court on July 19 to try to roll back these changes, and restore the Reformation-era felon disenfranchisement law. The conservative officials are arguing not only that the governor’s order… Continue reading

“The Wrong Way to Count Prisoners”

July 16, 2016, 10:27 amfelon voting, redistrictingRick Hasen

NYT editorial: Voting rights advocates have been pressing the Census Bureau for more than a decade to stop counting prison inmates as “residents” of prisons — where they typically remain for only a short time — instead of the communities… Continue reading