Virginia NAACP demands to see governor’s criteria for restoring voting rights to felons

By DENISE LAVOIE and SARAH RANKIN
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Virginia NAACP on Tuesday called on Gov. Glenn Youngkin to establish a clear and publicly available set of criteria to decide whether to restore the voting rights of convicted felons who have served their time. The civil rights organization said the system now is secretive and could have a discriminatory impact on people of color. Youngkin’s handling of the process has come under scrutiny since his administration confirmed earlier this year that it has shifted away from a system used by three of his predecessors that was at least partly automatic. The administration strongly denied that race, religion or ethnicity are considered during the decision-making process.