Kaine Outdoes Predecessors in Restoring Felons' Voting Rights

Virginians head to the polls in two weeks to choose the Commonwealth's next governor.

But will only eligible registered voters be voting?

Last week CBS 6 told you hundreds of felons may have voted in Richmond during last year's election.

The only way a convicted felon can cast a ballot in Virginia is by having the governor restore his or her voting rights.

According to the Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth, since 2006 when Tim Kaine became Governor, he's restored the voting rights of 3,933 convicted felons. That's more than former Governor Mark Warner (3,486).

And more than Governors Gilmore(238), Allen (460), Wilder (427), Baliles (853), and Robb (1,180) combined.

Clovia Lawrence with the Rolling For Freedom Project, who's helped thousands of felons get their voting rights restored says it's great because everyone deserves a second chance.

But House Delegate Bill Janis of Henrico says Kaine restoring the voting rights of almost 4,000 felons translates into "an average of 4 felons a day.".

Governor Warner made the process less complicated for non-violent felons to regain their voting rights by reducing the paperwork...cutting the waiting period from five years to three years, and eliminating the requirement for three letters of reference.