Voting Rights

Measures to expand access to the ballot box in Virginia have been met with fierce backlash — but voting is a right that should not be taken away depending on who is in office.

A capitol building is surrounded by a "Vote" sticker and a hand that enters a ballot into a ballot box.

What you need to know

Virginia has same-day voter registration.

There was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the Virginia 2020 General Election, according to the Office of the Attorney General.

A 2021 ACLU poll showed that two-thirds of Virginians support a guaranteed right to vote for all citizens 18 and over.

The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy. Everyone deserves this right. Without it, our government will never truly represent the people it is meant to serve.

Virginia is one of only two states that still has a Jim Crow-era law banning anyone convicted of a felony from voting for the rest of their lives, unless the governor decides to restore an individual’s rights. This provision was enacted in Virginia’s 1902 constitution explicitly to stop Black Virginians from voting. To overturn it, we need a constitutional amendment.

We have made significant progress in other areas to increase access to the ballot box:

 

  • We lobbied to pass same-day voter registration and no-excuse absentee voting in 2020, taking Virginia from the second most difficult state in which to vote into the top half of states with expanded voting access.
  • We’ve successfully challenged unconstitutional attempts to gerrymander election districts and dilute the voting power of Black communities for decades.
  • We joined the League of Women Voters to ensure that the COVID-19 pandemic did not prevent vulnerable people from casting a ballot.

While Virginia has made voting easier and more accessible in recent years, those gains have been met with fierce backlash.

Voting should be a right for all – a right that cannot be taken away or used as a tool for elected officials to pick and choose their constituents.

MAKE A DONATION today or BECOME A MEMBER to help secure the right to vote for all.


SHEBA'S STORY

Sheba Williams, the founder of Nolef Turns Inc., was wrongfully convicted of a felony in 2004 and served five years in prison. After her release – despite her degree in business management and hardworking spirit – she struggled to find a job in her field because of her conviction.

Like the hundreds of thousands of other Virginians with felony convictions, Sheba also could not vote. Her right to vote was restored by Gov. Terry McAuliffe in 2015, but it should never have been taken away in the first place.

That’s why Sheba is helping other people with felony convictions get access to basic rights and needs, like voting, housing and jobs. She tirelessly advocates for people who are formerly incarcerated and pushes for more compassionate laws that prioritize people over prisons.

The Latest

Press Release
Over a light blue background is a white circle with an blue typewriter in the middle.

Virginia Right to Vote coalition will work to amend Virginia’s constitution to protect voting rights

“Every eligible individual should be able to access the right to vote in order to participate in democracy that affects every aspect of their lives.” said Sheba Williams, Founder and Executive Director of Nolef Turns Inc.
Issue Areas: Voting Rights
News & Commentary
Right to Vote Protest Sign

ACLU-VA Demands VSP & VA ELECT To Reinstate Voting Rights to Virginians

Virginians Deserve An Immediate Investigation And Remediation of Unlawful Voter Roll Removals.
Know Your Rights
A capitol building is surrounded by a "Vote" sticker and a hand that enters a ballot into a ballot box.

Virginia Elections 2024

Voting is our right and our civic responsibility. Our democracy is stronger when everyone participates. Know your voting rights and make a plan to vote as early as possible.
News & Commentary
A capitol building is surrounded by a "Vote" sticker and a hand that enters a ballot into a ballot box.

Know Your Rights: Voting in Jail

Voting is our fundamental right as citizens, and everyone who is eligible to vote should have equal access to exercise their rights. However, there is a misconception that people who are confined in a jail or formerly incarcerated have lost that right completely.
Court Case
Jun 26, 2023

King v. Youngkin

The ACLU of Virginia, Protect Democracy, and WilmerHale on the behalf of individual plaintiffs Melvin Wingate, Tati Abu King, and Toni Heath Johnson, as well as Bridging the Gap In Virginia, filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit in federal court challenging the Virginia Constitution’s felony disenfranchisement provision. The case, filed in the Eastern District of Virginia, claims that Virginia is in violation of the 150-year-old federal law that established the terms of Virginia’s readmission to representation in the United States Congress after the Civil War.
Court Case
Sep 01, 2021

Adkins, et al. v. Virginia Redistricting Commission, et al. (Amicus)

The ACLU of Virginia, along with the ACLU, the League of Women Voters of Virginia, and the National Black Nonpartisan Redistricting Organization, filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court of Virginia in a case involving a challenge to House Bill 1255 (2020), a bill which set standards and criteria that the Virginia Redistricting Commission must follow when drawing new legislative districts, including the end of prison gerrymandering.
Court Case
Apr 17, 2020

League of Women Voters of Virginia v. Virginia State Board of Elections

Court Case
Nov 07, 2016

Walpole v. Showalter

Protecting the Right to Vote