RICHMOND, Va. -- Since 2019, when Darrell Redmond got his right to vote back after serving time, he voted in every single election in Virginia. That's why when he went to check his voter registration this year, he was so upset to see records showing he was not eligible.
"For me to have my rights back, it gave me a voice," Redmond said. “I’ve been on there four years. I voted last year, but when I saw it this year, I was like, ‘What is going on?’”
Redmond said he was one of 3,400 returning citizens who had their rights restored after serving prison time and paying all fines, only to be mistakenly removed from voter rolls by the Virginia Department of Elections because of a data set error, according to officials.
Virginians who serve time for felony convictions can only get their voting rights back if the Governor's office grants their request. After the three previous governors made that process more streamlined, Governor Glenn Youngkin's team went back to reviewing each case individually, citing state law.
“[My eligibility] was reinstated; however, I deal with a lot of people who have been purged, and they’re just scared to deal with the system, scared of being re-traumatized, even going through a process for anything legal because they’ve been impacted by the system," Redmond said.
He joined several voting rights groups and Richmond elected officials at a rally Wednesday morning expressing skepticism over how the Youngkin administration has handled the voter roll purge. Many questioned if the 3,400 voters were the only ones impacted and called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the ordeal.
“We don’t know what to believe. I don’t trust them, I don’t trust the administration," said Richard Walker, a local advocate.
“We should all be alarmed that our civil rights are at stake," said Sheba Williams, the founder of Nolef Turns Inc.
The governor's administration first disclosed the problem earlier this month following reporting from VPM News about concerns raised by civil rights advocates over improper voter removals.
The error, which the administration has blamed on a data-sharing issue that misclassified probation violations as new felonies, has sparked criticism from Democrats, including a call from the state's Democratic congressional delegation for a Department of Justice investigation.
The full scope of the problem had been unclear until the Department of Elections' announcement Friday — less than two weeks before Election Day. Originally, election officials said the issue only impacted 275 voters.
Local News
Youngkin admin says it's fixing issue that removed some voters from the rolls
Youngkin spoke about the issue Wednesday at an event in Louisa County. The governor said the data set issue likely dates back decades, which is why the state inspector general is reviewing the issue.
"A number of them were misclassified as having committed an additional felony, which under state law would mean they lose their rights to vote," Youngkin said.
All of the voters identified by the administration who were improperly removed from voter rolls have been contacted and will be eligible to vote, Youngkin said.
"This is a data set that clearly needs to be studied and understood. We’re working constructively with the Inspector General on all fronts to make sure we get to the bottom of this. Let me be clear: every Virginian that has the right to vote, should have the opportunity to vote, not a single person should be excluded," the governor said.
Virginia's Constitution gives every governor, regardless of party, broad authority over the process of restoring rights to those who return to society after serving time. Advocates said this episode is a clear example of why a constitutional amendment is needed to make rights restoration automatic, like it is in the majority of other states.
“It’s time to get ride of this in our Constitution because it is a stain on the moral fabric of our being and who we are," Willams said.
“It’s demoralizing because I don’t know I just go through the day thinking everything’s okay and in a matter of a split second somebody makes a decision on my life when I’m doing everything right to redeem what I’ve done in my past," Redmond said.
In order for an amendment to happen, the General Assembly would have to pass legislation two years in a row, and then Virginia voters would have the final say via a referendum vote.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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