SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
The Backlash Against Expanded Voting Rights in Virginia
May 07, 2016
Date on which Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe issued an executive order to restore voting rights to people who've completed their felony prison, probation and parole sentences: 4/22/2016
Estimated number of people directly affected by the order: 200,000
Rank of McAuliffe's among the most significant actions a governor has taken to date to address disenfranchisement: 1
Date on which Republican lawmakers in Virginia said they were considering a court challenge, accusing McAuliffe of trying to influence the outcome of the November election: 5/2/2016
Number of votes by which Democrats lost the majority in the Virginia Senate last year, which a McAuliffe spokesperson said is proof the governor's action wasn't driven by electoral politics: 1,500
Before McAuliffe's order, Virginia's ranking among states with the highest rates of felony disenfranchisement: 4
Among states with the highest rates of felony disenfranchisement for African Americans: 3
Number of newly registered voters in Virginia to date who had their rights restored by McAuliffe's action: more than 2,000
In North Carolina, a state demographically similar to Virginia, percent of former felons who registered to vote between 2004 and 2008, when Barack Obama narrowly won the state: 33
Percent who showed up at the polls in 2008: 21
Applying the North Carolina findings to Virginia, number of new voters expected: 70,000
Number expected to show up to vote: perhaps 40,000
Number of those votes Democrats would likely capture: fewer than 30,000
Number by which Obama carried the state in 2012: 149,000
Percent margin that represents: 3.9
Percent by which presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is projected to carry Virginia against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump: nearly 10
Besides Virginia, number of other states that still disenfranchise all individuals with felony convictions for life, unless they can secure a pardon from the governor: 3*
* Florida, Iowa, and Kentucky.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
© 2023 Institute for Southern Studies
Sue Sturgis
Sue Sturgis is the Director and regular contributor to the Institute for Southern Study's online magazine, Facing South, with a focus on energy and environmental issues. She is a former staff writer for The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the Independent Weekly in Durham, North Carolina. Sue is the author or co-author of five Institute reports, including Faith in the Gulf (Aug/Sept 2008), Hurricane Katrina and the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (January 2008) and Blueprint for Gulf Renewal (Aug/Sept 2007). Sue holds a Masters in Journalism from New York University.
Date on which Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe issued an executive order to restore voting rights to people who've completed their felony prison, probation and parole sentences: 4/22/2016
Estimated number of people directly affected by the order: 200,000
Rank of McAuliffe's among the most significant actions a governor has taken to date to address disenfranchisement: 1
Date on which Republican lawmakers in Virginia said they were considering a court challenge, accusing McAuliffe of trying to influence the outcome of the November election: 5/2/2016
Number of votes by which Democrats lost the majority in the Virginia Senate last year, which a McAuliffe spokesperson said is proof the governor's action wasn't driven by electoral politics: 1,500
Before McAuliffe's order, Virginia's ranking among states with the highest rates of felony disenfranchisement: 4
Among states with the highest rates of felony disenfranchisement for African Americans: 3
Number of newly registered voters in Virginia to date who had their rights restored by McAuliffe's action: more than 2,000
In North Carolina, a state demographically similar to Virginia, percent of former felons who registered to vote between 2004 and 2008, when Barack Obama narrowly won the state: 33
Percent who showed up at the polls in 2008: 21
Applying the North Carolina findings to Virginia, number of new voters expected: 70,000
Number expected to show up to vote: perhaps 40,000
Number of those votes Democrats would likely capture: fewer than 30,000
Number by which Obama carried the state in 2012: 149,000
Percent margin that represents: 3.9
Percent by which presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is projected to carry Virginia against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump: nearly 10
Besides Virginia, number of other states that still disenfranchise all individuals with felony convictions for life, unless they can secure a pardon from the governor: 3*
* Florida, Iowa, and Kentucky.
Sue Sturgis
Sue Sturgis is the Director and regular contributor to the Institute for Southern Study's online magazine, Facing South, with a focus on energy and environmental issues. She is a former staff writer for The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the Independent Weekly in Durham, North Carolina. Sue is the author or co-author of five Institute reports, including Faith in the Gulf (Aug/Sept 2008), Hurricane Katrina and the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (January 2008) and Blueprint for Gulf Renewal (Aug/Sept 2007). Sue holds a Masters in Journalism from New York University.
Date on which Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe issued an executive order to restore voting rights to people who've completed their felony prison, probation and parole sentences: 4/22/2016
Estimated number of people directly affected by the order: 200,000
Rank of McAuliffe's among the most significant actions a governor has taken to date to address disenfranchisement: 1
Date on which Republican lawmakers in Virginia said they were considering a court challenge, accusing McAuliffe of trying to influence the outcome of the November election: 5/2/2016
Number of votes by which Democrats lost the majority in the Virginia Senate last year, which a McAuliffe spokesperson said is proof the governor's action wasn't driven by electoral politics: 1,500
Before McAuliffe's order, Virginia's ranking among states with the highest rates of felony disenfranchisement: 4
Among states with the highest rates of felony disenfranchisement for African Americans: 3
Number of newly registered voters in Virginia to date who had their rights restored by McAuliffe's action: more than 2,000
In North Carolina, a state demographically similar to Virginia, percent of former felons who registered to vote between 2004 and 2008, when Barack Obama narrowly won the state: 33
Percent who showed up at the polls in 2008: 21
Applying the North Carolina findings to Virginia, number of new voters expected: 70,000
Number expected to show up to vote: perhaps 40,000
Number of those votes Democrats would likely capture: fewer than 30,000
Number by which Obama carried the state in 2012: 149,000
Percent margin that represents: 3.9
Percent by which presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is projected to carry Virginia against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump: nearly 10
Besides Virginia, number of other states that still disenfranchise all individuals with felony convictions for life, unless they can secure a pardon from the governor: 3*
* Florida, Iowa, and Kentucky.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.