A 124-Year-Old Voting Ban Designed to Silence Black Virginians Is Finally Gone

Virginia voters have repealed the state’s lifetime voting ban for people convicted of felonies, restoring their right to vote once they are released from prison. The change removes a restriction enacted in 1902 with the explicit aim of disenfranchising Black voters, and is significant for the more than 250,000 Virginians previously barred from voting under it.

The ballot amendment passed by more than 10 percentage points, with 96.8 per cent of votes counted. Previously, a person with a felony conviction could vote only if pardoned by the governor or granted restoration; Virginia was one of just three states retaining a lifetime ban. The vote also coincided with approval of constitutional protections for reproductive rights and same-sex marriage.