In Virginia, fewer people are getting their right to vote restored, after Gov. Glenn Youngkin rolled back more than a decade of civil rights reforms.
Youngkin changed the state's process for restoring convicted felons' right to vote, without ever announcing the change or explaining what exactly has changed.
Virginia's constitution strips a felon's voting rights until they're restored by a governor. That process was relaxed by former Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell, and was eased further by democrats Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam, until the process was nearly automatic.
By comparison, people convicted of felonies in D.C. never lose their right to vote. In Maryland, voting rights are automatically restored once a person is released from prison.
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Some Virginia Democrats started asking questions after state workers who register voters noticed former inmates weren't getting their rights restored.
In a letter to state senators, the Secretary of the Commonwealth said that when someone is released from prison, they'll need to apply to have their votes restored.
The state will then "research each application and provide further information to be used in the consideration process."
The letter does not outline specifics about the restoration process.
State Senator Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) slammed the changes, alongside other Democrats.
"We don't do government in secret," Surovell said. "We don't make big decisions that affect people's lives in secret."
He added that there are "multiple studies that have shown that when you restore someone's rights, the odds of them recidivating, committing another crime, go down by 18%. If you're actually tough on crime, you're trying to prevent crime, you restore rights."
Veteran Howard Hughes had his voting rights restored in about 48 hours under Gov. McAuliffe, after serving 18 months for a nonviolent offense about a decade ago.
"Having your right restored makes you feel human again," Hughes said.
For him, getting back the right to vote was a major step in transitioning back into society and finding a job. He hopes others aren't denied the same chance.
"For me, the only reason why I think he's doing it is so he stops people from voting," Hughes said.
News4 reached out to the Governor's office for an explanation.
Without specifying the process, a spokeswoman issued a statement saying the Governor is "practicing grace for those who need it and ensuring public safety."
Every General Assembly seat in Virginia is up for election this year.
