From today’s NPR News:
Tati King says he wants to set an example for his grandchildren that it’s important to make sure their voices are heard.
It’s why King, a 54-year-old living in Alexandria, Va., is suing Virginia election officials in federal court to get his voting rights restored.
“I want them to see that their grandfather was on the right side of things for once in his life,” he said.
King lost his ability to vote in the state because of a 2018 felony drug possession conviction. He served 11 months in prison and is now challenging Virginia’s constitutional rule that automatically strips anyone’s voting rights if they’re convicted of a felony. The constitution gives the governor sole authority to restore those rights.
More than 300,000 Virginians currently can’t vote because of the policy, according to filings in King’s legal challenge — which is just one of the ways Virginia’s voter restoration system could soon change.
Virginia’s incoming governor, Democrat Abigail Spanberger, is expected to implement changes and a proposed constitutional amendment could make the restoration process automatic once someone’s served out their sentence.
Read the complete story here.